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.
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.
Homeland Security officials have arrested a pilot at San Francisco International Airport on charges related to child sexual abuse material. Federal authorities confirmed the arrest on Monday. Passengers on a Delta flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco reported seeing agents board the plane and enter the cockpit soon after landing on Saturday. A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed the arrest in an email. Further details about the case are not immediately available. Delta says the pilot has been suspended and that it is cooperating with law enforcement.
The National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman says heroic actions by the crew aboard an Alaska Airlines flight ensured everyone survived last year when the door plug panel blew out of the plane. But Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that the incident never should have happened. She says Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration could have done more to ensure the safety of the Boeing 737 Max. The NTSB had already revealed that bolts were never replaced after the door plug was removed during a repair. Homendy now says Boeing's new CEO has made many safety improvements since last summer, but that more needs to be done.
By SHONAL GANGULY, RAJESH ROY and AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press
Updated
Indian investigators have recovered the digital flight data recorder or the black box of the Air India flight that crashed a day earlier. The crash on Thursday killed 241 people on board and at least five people on the ground. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that the black box recovery Friday marks an important step forward in the investigation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with the lone surviving passenger of the London-bound Boeing 787 that struck a medical college hostel when it crashed into a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff. DNA testing was being conducted to identify the victims. More bodies are expected to be found in the search at the crash site.
An official says at least 240 people have been killed in the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad. Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer in Ahmedabad, said Thursday that the dead include medical students who were in a college hostel when the plane hit the building. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that a single passenger survived the crash. The Air India passenger plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff. Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed and burst into flames near the airport.
