Air traffic investigators’ findings are leading to a near-term change in how ground vehicles are tracked at major New York-area airports. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it will install transponders on fire trucks and other rescue vehicles at LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports after a deadly March 22 runway collision involving an Air Canada jet.
Port Authority officials said the equipment is designed to provide air traffic controllers with more precise information about where rescue vehicles are located. The Port Authority said the transponders will constantly send signals to the control tower, improving the display and alerting function that help controllers manage traffic movements on airport surfaces.
The National Transportation Safety Board, in a preliminary report issued last week, pointed to the lack of transponders in connection with the LaGuardia accident. In that collision, an Air Canada jet struck a fire truck on the runway, killing two pilots and injuring several other people, according to the Port Authority’s description of the investigation status.
The Port Authority said an air traffic controller had cleared the vehicle to cross the runway and that the report said the truck drove past red warning lights. The agency also said the incident occurred during extra heavy air traffic and while there was an emergency involving another plane.
The Port Authority’s upgrade effort ties into the way airports with ASDE-X operate. The Port Authority said LaGuardia is one of 35 airports with Airport Surface Detection Systems, known as ASDE-X, which combine radar data with information from transponders inside planes and ground vehicles along with other data to create a display in the tower showing where aircraft and vehicles are.
The Port Authority also said ASDE-X includes an alarm feature in the tower that sounds when it anticipates a potential collision. By adding transponders to fire trucks and rescue vehicles, officials said controllers will have an additional layer of visibility on top of the existing surface-surveillance systems that already track ground movements.
The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended that major airports install transponders on vehicles, and it has offered to help pay for the systems, according to the Port Authority. Many airports have followed that guidance, and the Port Authority said it would continue to work with the NTSB as its investigation proceeds.
In a statement, Port Authority chief communications officer James Allen said the agency has made “targeted investments in safety technology” for its airfield vehicles, including systems designed to track vehicle movements and support operator awareness across the airfield. Allen said the Port Authority would continue working with the FAA and the NTSB and remain focused on strengthening safety across its airfield operations.
In addition to LaGuardia, the Port Authority operates Kennedy Airport and Newark Liberty Airport in northern New Jersey.