A U.S. committee revealed that the collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck on a New York airport runway, which resulted in two deaths, was caused by the failure of the system that detects aircraft and vehicles on the runway.
On 24 Mar 2026, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) disclosed that the collision between an Air Canada aircraft and a fire truck on a New York City airport runway, which caused two fatalities and dozens of injuries last Sunday, was due to a failure in the runway vehicle and aircraft detection system.
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the incident involving an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 jet colliding with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport. They found that the accident resulted from the ASDE-X system not functioning properly.
“The ASDE-X system did not issue a warning because vehicles were too close together while moving on and off the runway, preventing the system from generating a highly accurate tracking path,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said to reporters in New York.
ASDE-X, or Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X, is a surveillance system designed to reduce runway incursions by helping air traffic controllers monitor the movement of aircraft and vehicles on runway surfaces.
Additionally, Homendy noted that the fire truck crossing LaGuardia’s runway to assist another aircraft lacked a transceiver device, unlike other airport vehicles in the United States.
Homendy also acknowledged that it remains unclear whether any technology could have prevented this accident, as the event unfolded very rapidly.
As a result of the accident, LaGuardia Airport is facing extensive flight delays and cancellations for a second consecutive day. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that one of the airport’s two runways is expected to remain closed until Friday.
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Source: cna