Near Miss at LaGuardia Spotlights Ongoing Challenges for Runway Safety and Air Traffic Control
Federal authorities are investigating a recent incident at New York's LaGuardia Airport, in which a Republic Airways jet was forced to abort its takeoff to avoid a United Airlines plane that was still crossing the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The close call occurred on May 6.
Neither United Airlines, Republic Airways, nor the airport immediately responded to a request for comment made by NTD News, sister media of The Epoch Times, regarding the incident.
LaGuardia is equipped with the FAA's most advanced surface radar system, known as ASDE-X, which is designed to help prevent runway incursions by allowing controllers to track planes and vehicles on the ground. However, the May 6 incident demonstrates that even the best available technology is not foolproof.
Across the United States, only 35 airports have this advanced system, while controllers at the remaining 490 towered airports rely on less sophisticated tools, such as binoculars, due to the high cost of the technology.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has expressed interest in expanding advanced safety systems to more airports if Congress approves his multi-billion-dollar plan to modernize the air traffic control system.
Ongoing Concerns About Runway Incursions
The number of close calls at U.S. airports has been a persistent concern for the FAA, NTSB, and aviation safety experts. According to the FAA, the rate of runway incursions per million takeoffs and landings has stayed around 30 for the past decade, peaking at 35 in 2017 and 2018.
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Most years see fewer than 20 of the most serious incidents—those where a collision was narrowly avoided or there was significant potential for a crash. The number of such serious events reached 22 in 2023 and dropped to seven last year, the FAA reported.
Efforts are underway to develop systems that would alert pilots directly about runway traffic, rather than relying solely on controllers to relay warnings. The FAA has not yet certified such a system, though Honeywell International has been working on one for several years.
The LaGuardia incident comes amid a series of equipment failures at air traffic control centers nationwide. According to the FAA, controllers in Denver recently lost contact with planes for about 90 seconds because of a communications blackout, forcing them to switch to emergency backup frequencies. Radar systems remained operational, and no accidents occurred.
Similar outages have affected facilities responsible for Newark Liberty International Airport, prompting discussions between the FAA and airlines about reducing flights due to staffing shortages and equipment concerns. United Airlines, Newark's largest carrier, announced it would cancel 35 flights per day after a week of delays and diversions caused by technology failures.
Calls for Modernization
Transportation Secretary Duffy has called the recent outages 'unacceptable' and preventable with timely upgrades. He has announced a multi-billion-dollar plan to modernize air traffic control infrastructure, emphasizing the need for more reliable equipment and updated automation systems.
The FAA has acknowledged that frequent outages are stressful for controllers and is working to improve both staffing and technology. Discussions between the FAA and airlines regarding flight reductions at Newark are ongoing.
The LaGuardia near miss is a reminder of the importance of runway safety systems. The deadliest accident in aviation history, which occurred in 1977 on the Spanish island of Tenerife, involved two planes colliding on a runway in thick fog, resulting in 583 deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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