Arizona helicopter crash inspires federal aviation safety legislation

PHOENIX - A woman who lost four family members in a helicopter crash in January is celebrating a milestone in her fight for change to aviation protocol, after bipartisan legislation was introduced in both chambers of Congress this week.

What we know:

The McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act, named after the four people lost in the January crash, has bipartisan support, including the backing of Arizona Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, and Representative Eli Crane. The legislation would not enforce new rules overnight, but it would bring aviation experts to the table to figure out the best way to protect pilots and their passengers from low-altitude hazards.

"This bill doesn't bring my sisters back but it can make sure that it doesn't happen to anybody again," Elizabeth McCarty Gallup said.

Elizabeth McCarty Gallup's months-long fight to get Washington to address aviation safety received a big win, thanks in big part to Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley.

"I got an email from Senator Merkley's team saying 'Senator Merkley met your parents at a town hall, he's met you in D.C., he wants to move forward on it, let's do it'," Gallup said.

The backstory:

Elizabeth McCarty Gallup lost her sisters Rachel and Faith McCarty, cousin Katelyn Heideman, and Uncle David McCarty in a helicopter crash near Superior's Telegraph Canyon in January, after the helicopter collided with a recreational slackline. 

Dig deeper:

Gallup describes the legislation introduced in Congress as a broad safety bill designed for the FAA to answer questions in regards to low-level obstructions.

"Which, the questions are very guided so they should come to the same outcome that I've been at since the accident happened; we need to physically mark these and we need to digitally mark these," Gallup said.

Gallup hopes this leads to a change in the current NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen, system in place. At the time of the crash, a NOTAM was in place for the slackline, but the notice was not tied to the airport where David McCarty, an experienced pilot, took off.

"The NOTAM system is very, very difficult to use right now. If you talk to any pilot, they're going to say oh my gosh yeah, NOTAM's are not great," Gallup said.
The bill also forces the FAA to review policies within six months, and if current policies are found inadequate, the administration must update regulations within a year.

What's next:

Gallup says there are still hurdles left, with a limited amount of legislative days left in the current session, but she is focusing on the progress made to get to this point.

"I had two options. I could lay in bed and be sad about it and process it that way, and that's perfectly fine to do, that works for some people, but I also had the opportunity and this option to go down this avenue and God's opened the doors for me and so it's always worth a try, it's been very healing for me in that capacity. God gives us two choices in life and I chose the choice of getting up and do something," Gallup said.

What you can do:

Gallup says people who see this story and want to help get this bill passed can send letters to the Commerce Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, asking members to take this bill up and move it along. Meanwhile, her family is also waiting for the final NTSB report on the crash, which will likely not be released for another year and a half.

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