US safety agency says tracking system failed at LaGuardia during jet collision

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that a system which would have allowed a New York airport controller to track movement of aircraft and vehicles did not alert during a Sunday night fatal collision between an Air Canada commercial jet and a truck that killed two pilots.

The NTSB, an independent safety agency, is leading the investigation into the collision of the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 jet with a firetruck at LaGuardia Airport, which injured dozens of passengers. The flight, operated by regional partner Jazz Aviation, had 72 passengers and four crew.

"ASDE-X did not generate an alert due to the close proximity of vehicles merging and unmerging near the runway, resulting in the inability to create a track of high confidence," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters in New York.

ASDE-X, or the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model XS is a surveillance system designed to help reduce runway incursions that allows air traffic controllers to track surface movement of aircraft and vehicles.

Homendy also said the truck, which was crossing a LaGuardia Airport runway to assist a separate plane, did not have a transponder, unlike trucks at other airports in the United States.

She said it is unclear if any technology would have prevented the incident since it happened so fast.

Homendy added there were two controllers working in the glass-enclosed section of the airport's traffic control tower.