Port Authority installs tarmac transponders

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Tuesday it will add transponders to fire trucks and other airfield vehicles at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty after March’s fatal runway crash. (cbsnews.com) (gothamist.com) The change follows the March 22 collision at LaGuardia between Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, and Rescue 35, a Port Authority fire truck, on Runway 4. The crash killed the captain and first officer and sent 39 people to hospitals, including six with serious injuries. (ntsb.gov) A transponder is a tracking device that helps tower systems identify a vehicle on the airfield, like a digital name tag on the tarmac. The Federal Aviation Administration’s ASDE-X system uses sensor data to track aircraft and vehicles on runways and taxiways and warn controllers about potential conflicts. (faa.gov) The National Transportation Safety Board said the LaGuardia truck did not have a transponder, and ABC7 reported that the airport’s ASDE-X system did not generate an alert before the collision. That finding put the missing device at the center of the first major safety change since the preliminary report came out on April 23. (ntsb.gov) (abc7ny.com) Gothamist reported the Port Authority confirmed the update Tuesday evening, and the New York Daily News reported the rollout will cover ground vehicles across the airports it controls. CBS New York said officials described the transponders as an added layer of visibility for controllers already using surface-surveillance tools. (gothamist.com) (nydailynews.com) (cbsnews.com) The Port Authority said the fire truck in the crash was in radio contact with air traffic control and had been cleared to proceed. James Allen, the agency’s chief communications officer, said the preliminary findings showed how “multiple safety systems and procedures interact” during complex emergency responses. (gothamist.com) The NTSB’s preliminary account also pointed to communication problems in the final seconds before impact. ABC News reported the controller issued stop calls, and a firefighter in the truck later told investigators he heard “stop, stop, stop” but did not realize the warning was meant for their vehicle until it was already entering the runway. (abcnews.go.com) (ntsb.gov) ABC7 said the Port Authority had tested similar tracking devices at Newark Liberty last year, and the station reported the Federal Aviation Administration had recommended broader use. Tuesday’s decision turns that pilot effort into a systemwide response at the region’s biggest airports. (abc7ny.com) The NTSB’s final report is still years away, but the first concrete fix is now on the tarmac: make sure controllers can see the trucks, not just hear them. (gothamist.com) (ntsb.gov)