By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JOSH FUNK and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
Federal investigators say a runway warning system didn't sound an alarm before an Air Canada jet and a fire truck collided at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that the system didn't work as intended because the fire truck did not have a transponder. The plane carrying more than 70 people slammed into the fire truck while landing late Sunday night. The two pilots were killed and several passengers were injured. But most were able to escape the mangled aircraft. Investigators don't know yet whether the two people in the fire truck heard the control tower's frantic, last-second warnings to stop before pulling into the plane's path.
By JAKE OFFENHARTZ and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press
An Air Canada jet carrying more than 70 passengers collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing two pilots and injuring several others. Officials say the fire truck was crossing the tarmac late Sunday after being given permission to check on another plane reporting an odor onboard. Before the collision, an air traffic controller can be heard on airport communications frantically telling the fire truck to stop. The crash temporarily shut down LaGuardia — the New York region's third busiest hub — during what was already a messy time at U.S. airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says LaGuardia is "well-staffed" but still faces a shortage of air traffic controllers.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says there's no imminent threat to the state from Iran. ABC News says the FBI warned California that Iran had aspired to send drones to the West Coast in retaliation for war. The FBI later released text of the alert, which noted that the information was based on "unverified information." The White House now says, "No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists." Newsom says California and various agencies plan for worst-case scenarios. Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco say they are monitoring world events for any risks.
A private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four other people has crashed after takeoff from Turkey's capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Turkey said the Libyan military chief was in Ankara for high-level defense talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries and to address regional issues. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and the others, saying in a statement on Facebook that the "tragic accident" took place as the Libyan delegation was "returning from an official trip to Ankara." He called it a "great loss" for Libya.
NASA and Lockheed Martin have successfully tested a supersonic jet designed to minimize noise. The X-59 jet took its first flight over the southern California desert, marking a potential step toward faster commercial travel. On Tuesday, the jet flew slower than the speed of sound but is capable of traveling faster without the loud "sonic boom" that has hindered widespread use. The test is seen as a significant move toward commercial supersonic flights, which could cut flight times in half. The project aims to overcome noise issues and lead to regulatory changes for supersonic travel in the U.S.
Delivery drones are supposed to be fast, yet, the long-promised technology has been slow to take off in the United States. More than six years after the Federal Aviation Administration approved the first commercial home deliveries with drones, the service still is confined to a handful of suburbs. That could soon change. The FAA proposed a new rule last week that would make it easier for companies to fly drones outside of an operator's line of sight. A handful of companies do that now, but they had to obtain waivers. Walmart, Amazon, DoorDash and the drone companies they work with say they are preparing to make drone-based deliveries available to millions more U.S. households.
