Two near collisions at U.S. airports in 2023 might have been avoided with improved technology, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says. In an abbreviated final report issued last week, the NTSB cited a “lack of critical safety technology” as a probable cause of an incident in Texas; in the abstract of a final report on the New York incident, the board recommended development of an alerting system to warn pilots if a runway or taxiway is occupied.
Both incidents occurred during the first two months of 2023, when an unusual flurry of runway incursions and near collisions occurred at half a dozen airports across the United States, prompting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to convene a safety summit to focus on the problem and to issue Safety Alert for Operators (SAfO) 23002 pointing out the need for “continued vigilance” to help mitigate safety risks.
No one was injured in either incident, which occurred Jan. 13 at New York’s K…
