Seconds before LaGuardia crash, air traffic controller cleared fire truck onto runway

Air Crash at LaGuardia Airport

One of only two air traffic controllers on duty at LaGuardia Airport cleared a fire truck to cross a runway just 12 seconds before an Air Canada flight touched down, leading to a fatal collision. The crash, which occurred after the controller cleared the fire truck onto the runway only seconds before impact, resulted in the deaths of both pilots and injuries to several passengers.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the safety protocols that failed, including whether having two controllers on duty was sufficient and why the runway warning system did not alert to potential crashes. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized that this incident involved multiple failures in the system, highlighting the complexity of overnight operations at major airports.

The Port Authority has not yet commented on the lack of a transponder in the fire truck. Investigators are working to determine whether an alert could have prevented the crash and are yet to interview the firefighters who were injured in the incident.

With heavy workloads and potential distractions, the safety measures need to be scrutinized. The crash came at a time of increasing frustration with air travel in the US, caused by long security lines due to the government shutdown, winter storms, and rising costs.