Communication Failures Preceded Deadly Crash at LaGuardia, N.T.S.B. Says
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- LaGuardia Airport's lack of communication transponders on emergency vehicles contributed to a fatal collision between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck on March 22, according to a preliminary NTSB report.
- The air traffic controller managing both air and ground traffic allowed the fire truck to cross the runway despite the approaching landing jet.
- Firefighters in the lead vehicle did not immediately recognize the "stop, stop, stop" radio instructions as directed at them during the incident.
- The absence of transponders prevented the automatic warning system from identifying the emergency vehicles' positions and alerting the controller to the impending collision.
- Investigators noted that the system failed to correlate the airplane's track with that of the fire truck, which led to the lack of prediction of the potential conflict.
