By SCN News Desk
A preliminary investigation into last month’s deadly runway collision at LaGuardia Airport has revealed a chain of critical failures that led to the tragic incident.
According to findings by the National Transportation Safety Board, a firefighter driving an emergency vehicle heard repeated warnings from air traffic control to “stop,” but was unsure the command was directed at his truck.
Moments earlier, the vehicle had been cleared to cross the runway. However, it continued moving even as warning lights remained active, signaling traffic to halt.
Investigators also noted that the fire truck lacked a key tracking system, preventing control tower technology from accurately identifying its position. As a result, no automated alerts were triggered to warn of an imminent collision.
The aircraft, an Air Canada Express flight, was landing at high speed when it encountered the truck already on the runway. By the time the situation became clear, it was too late to avoid impact.
Experts say multiple opportunities existed to prevent the crash, pointing to breakdowns in communication, timing, and safety systems.
The incident has raised serious concerns about runway safety protocols and the effectiveness of current collision prevention measures.