Runway Blind Spot Exposed in LaGuardia Crash That Killed Two

A preliminary NTSB report found a missing transponder on an emergency fire truck prevented ASDE-X from tracking it as an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 approached LaGuardia, leaving the runway area effectively blind; the jet was about 130 feet above the runway when the truck crossed after a clearance was issued roughly 20 seconds earlier, urgent stop commands were issued but not understood, runway lights extinguished, and two pilots were killed with dozens injured.