FAA to equip airport vehicles with transponders after LGA Air Canada crash

The U.S. agency responsible for aviation safety announced Wednesday (May 13) that it will fast-track the installation of tracking technology on all airport vehicles following the fatal March crash involving an Air Canada plane at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it will invest $16.5 million USD ($22.6 million CAD) to equip its airport vehicles across the country with transponders known as Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters (VMATs), allowing air-traffic controllers to better monitor vehicle movements on airport grounds.

The FAA said it had already been considering the upgrade for several months, but accelerated the plan after an Air Canada aircraft struck a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport on March 22.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that the crash, which claimed the lives of both pilots, involved a fire truck that was not equipped with a transponder.

READ MORE: “I messed up”: Early audio points to runway clearance error in deadly Air Canada crash at LaGuardia

Last month, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages LaGuardia and other regional airports, announced plans to install transponders on vehicles operating near runways.

LaGuardia’s airport surface monitoring system, known as ASDE-X, is designed to track aircraft and ground vehicles in real time for air-traffic controllers in order to reduce the risk of runway collisions.

The system can issue both visual and audio warnings when it detects a possible collision, giving controllers time to respond. However, neither alert was triggered on the night of the accident.

The FAA’s decision to install transponders at airports across the country comes just over a year after the agency urged airports with ASDE-X systems to voluntarily equip emergency vehicles with the devices to strengthen runway safety.

According to the statement, about 1,900 vehicles at 44 airports equipped with ASDE-X and Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC) systems will receive the transponders.

Another 220 airports that either already use or are expected to receive Surface Awareness Initiative systems — another technology aimed at improving controllers’ visibility of ground traffic — will also be included.

The FAA also encouraged airports and airlines nationwide to install similar technology on their own vehicles.

Memorial in Montreal 

Montreal’s airport authority has since unveiled a memorial honouring the two Air Canada pilots who were killed in the runway collision.

Located at the Jacques-de-Lesseps plane-spotting park, the tribute notes that Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther died while carrying out their duties and doing what they loved.

As reported by CBC News, and according to Aéroports de Montréal spokesperson Émilie Chevrette, the park where the memorial now stands had already become a gathering place for aviation enthusiasts, who left flowers and tributes there in the days following the crash.

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