Public Transport Safety

NTSB says this week a controller's clearance and limits of LaGuardia's ASDE-X helped cause last month's fatal collision between a rescue truck and an Air Canada jet at LaGuardia Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urged that all new U.S. school buses be fitted with alcohol detection systems to help stop impaired driving. These devices would require a breath test or use passive sensors to block a bus from starting if alcohol is detected.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near miss at JFK between Republic Airways Flight 4464 and Air Canada Express Flight 8554. The incident unfolded on parallel approaches when Republic 4464 missed its intended path and pilots received a resolution advisory, prompting a go-around. FAA officials say both crews responded to onboard collision warnings and the flights landed or diverted safely with no reported injuries. The agency opened a formal inquiry and said the JFK event is separate from an ongoing probe of a recent Nashville near miss.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said AI will assist but not replace U.S. air traffic controllers. Duffy made the comments in public interviews and at a Washington summit this spring as the Department of Transportation outlines a major air-traffic overhaul. He said "we do not replace humans" and called AI "a tool" to help controllers, comments carried widely on broadcast and social channels.

Shortly after midnight, a D.C. Metro work vehicle struck a stopped Silver Line train in Washington, injuring 11 as investigators probe the cause.

Hundreds of Amtrak passengers were stranded for nearly 24 hours on a Florida train halted by wildfires near the Clay-Putnam county line. The train, identified by Amtrak as Train 98, was delayed in DeLand before ultimately returning to Miami with 232 passengers aboard. Amtrak said the stoppage was caused by two brush fires near the Clay County-Putnam County line in northern Florida.

A UPS cargo jet aborted its landing this week at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport after a smaller plane entered the runway without authorization. The Federal Aviation Administration said the smaller aircraft, calling itself Skylab 25, turned onto the runway without authorization and air traffic control ordered the UPS 767 to go around. FAA said required separation between UPS Flight 1303 and Skylab 25 was maintained, though audio shows a controller shouting, "What are you doing?" UPS told reporters the go-around was conducted safely with no injuries and no operational impact, and described the maneuver as a standard procedure.