New York airport accident caused by a series of failures and air traffic controller overload, investigators reported details
Kyiv • UNN
The collision of a plane with a fire truck at LaGuardia was caused by staff overload and a lack of a transponder. Two pilots were killed and 39 people were injured.
The fatal collision between an aircraft and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York was the result of a series of technical failures and human factors. This is stated in the preliminary report of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as reported by the Associated Press, writes UNN.
Details
The incident occurred on March 22, when a regional Air Canada Express aircraft collided with a fire truck after landing. Two pilots died, and 39 other people were injured.
At the time of the accident, the airport was operating at overcapacity – the number of night flights exceeded the norm by more than twofold due to delays.
Controllers simultaneously coordinated landings, takeoffs, and responded to another emergency – an incident on board a United Airlines aircraft. The fire truck was moving in a convoy heading to that very call.
These controllers were just very busy
Lack of transponder
A key problem was the absence of a transponder on the fire truck. Because of this, the ground control system could not accurately track its movement and did not issue an alarm about a possible collision.
The radar did not distinguish between vehicles on the runway, which made it impossible to warn controllers in time.
Ignoring safety signals
Before the collision, the fire truck was allowed to cross the runway when the aircraft was already on final approach. At the same time, the system of warning red lights remained on until the last seconds before the accident.
According to experts, these signals should have been a reason for an immediate stop of the vehicle, regardless of the controller's permission.
Circumstances of the accident
The aircraft with 76 people on board was at an altitude of about 30 meters when the fire truck entered the runway. The collision occurred a few seconds later.
This is the first fatal aviation accident at LaGuardia Airport in 34 years. The investigation is ongoing.
LaGuardia plane collision caused by NTSB tracking system failure25.03.26, 00:39 • 6567 views