A collision occurred on March 22 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport between an Air Canada Express jet and a firetruck, resulting in the deaths of both pilots. The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report providing a detailed timeline of the events leading up to the crash.
Federal investigators found that the firetruck driver heard an air traffic controller warn "stop, stop, stop," but the driver did not realize the warnings were meant for him. This frantic warning came after the air traffic controller had already cleared the truck to cross the runway.
The report also highlighted failures in safety systems. A crash prevention system for air traffic controllers failed to generate any audio or visual alerts. Additionally, red lights meant to warn that the runway was in use remained on until approximately three seconds before the collision.