Federal officials are looking into why two planes almost crashed into each other on a runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport earlier this month. The airport has fancy surface radar to prevent this kind of thing, but it didn’t work this time. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are both investigating the incident that happened on May 6. A Republic Airways jet had to stop suddenly because a United Airlines plane was still on the runway. The air traffic controller told the Republic Airways pilot, “Oops, my bad. I thought United was already gone.”
The Republic Airways jet was told to take off while the United plane was still on the runway because the controllers were not talking to each other. The ground controller was guiding the United plane to a different taxiway after it missed the first one it was supposed to use. Both airlines and the airport are not saying much about the incident, leaving it up to the FAA to figure out what went wrong. This is not the first time something like this has happened, with close calls becoming more common in recent years. The NTSB is particularly worried about these incidents, especially after a close call in Austin in February 2023 and other near misses, like a Southwest Airlines jet almost hitting a business jet in Chicago.
LaGuardia is one of the few airports in the country with the top-notch technology to avoid runway incidents. The ASDS-X system helps controllers keep track of planes and vehicles on the ground. Other airports have to rely on binoculars, as the systems are too expensive to install everywhere. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants to expand the technology to more airports, but it’s not foolproof. The FAA is trying to reduce the number of close calls by adding more warning systems at airports like LaGuardia. However, runway incursions have stayed around 30 per million takeoffs and landings for the past decade, with some years being worse than others.
Efforts are being made to create a system that will warn pilots directly about runway traffic, instead of relying on controllers. This could save time and prevent accidents. Honeywell International has been working on a system for years, but the FAA has yet to approve it. The worst aviation accident in history happened in 1977 when two planes collided in Tenerife, killing 583 people. So, it’s crucial to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again. Let’s hope the FAA figures out a solution soon before it’s too late.
