After Near-Disaster, NTSB Eyes Tech to Keep Planes on Runways
- Pilot fatigue said to be factor in 2017 taxiway incident
- Air Canada jet was coming in for landing in San Francisco
Photographer: Matthew Lloyd/Bloomberg
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U.S. accident investigators probing a San Francisco incident last year in which a jetliner was mere feet from landing on top of at least one other plane are poised to recommend new automated safety warnings and better pilot-fatigue protections.
An Air Canada flight mistakenly tried to touch down on a taxi strip where four other jetliners were awaiting takeoff. Both pilots told investigators that they were tired as they neared the airport at almost midnight. Because they lived in Toronto, it was the equivalent of 3 a.m. on their body clocks.