In the aftermath of the collision between a firetruck and Air Canada jet at LaGuardia Airport that left two pilots dead, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials say they will install tracking technology on rescue vehicles – something that was not in place at the time of the crash.
“The Port Authority has made targeted investments in safety technology for its ARFF and other airfield vehicles, including systems designed to track vehicle movements and support operator awareness across the airfield,” said Port Authority chief communications officer James Allen. “We also recognize that transponder technology can provide an additional layer of visibility on top of existing surface-surveillance systems that already track ground movements.”
The statement follows the release of preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, which found the vehicle was responding to an emergency and was operating in direct communication with air traffic control.
Investigators found the tower appeared to have been in radio contact with the truck seconds before the collision.
The NTSB reported an air traffic controller said “stop, stop, stop” repeatedly moments before but the firefighter did not know who it was for.
Allen says LaGuardia has an ASDE-X system designed to track aircraft and ground vehicles and issue alerts when potential collisions are detected. However, Allen says “although ASDE-X is intended to provide tower alerts of potential collisions, the FAA has reported that it did not do so in this case.”
