LaGuardia Airport (LGA) reopened one of its runways on March 26 after a fatal collision on Sunday, March 22. An Air Canada Express plane struck a fire truck, which eventually led to the runway closure.
Earlier than predicted
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had predicted earlier that runway reopening was not possible until Friday, March 27.
But the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that, after removing the plane and truck late Wednesday, the runway was repaired, inspected and confirmed to meet FAA regulations for safe operation.
The FAA also confirmed that the arrival frequency on Runway 4 would remain reduced after resuming operations.
Reason for the collision
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jennifer Homendy said that investigators have been inspecting the air traffic controllers who were working on the day of the collision.
She added that tracking technologies installed to prevent runway collisions did not work. The airport’s ground surveillance system also didn’t give a warning alert of the proximity of vehicles to the runway.
In addition to the above, Reuters reported that there was no transponder in the truck that collided with the Air Canada Express aircraft. So, the location of the truck was not transmitted to air traffic control.
U.S. air safety experts have said that communications between the aircraft, the truck and the air traffic controller would be key areas of the investigation.
In this fatal collision, two pilots lost their lives, and 39 of the 76 passengers and crew were injured and taken to the hospital, according to Reuters.
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