The wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet that collided with a ground vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York on March 24, 2026. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
WASHINGTON, April 23—The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday a key runway safety system failed to activate before a March 22 fatal collision between an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck that killed two pilots.
The NTSB also said in its preliminary report that red runway entrance lights that indicate when it is not safe to cross a runway were on until about three seconds before the time of the collision. The NTSB said the system is designed to turn the lights off about 2 to 3 seconds before the airplane reaches each intersection.
