US: After near-disaster, NTSB eyes tech to keep planes on runways

US 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. The NTSB on Tuesday is scheduled to adopt its findings and make recommendations on the July 7, 2017 incident that could have become one of the worst airline disasters in decades if the Air Canada plane had descended just a few feet more. Investigators have concluded that the tired pilots erred by failing to identify the runway and hadn’t adequately reviewed pre-flight warnings about potentially confusing construction at the airport, according to a person briefed on the proposed findings. The action was described by a person familiar with the agency’s work who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. Instead of aiming for a runway, the captain, who was at the controls, flew on a parallel path toward a taxiway, where the other jets were idling. Story has more details.<br/>