Regulations & Safety
NTSB Preliminary Report on Endeavor Air Ground Collision at LaGuardia
NTSB releases preliminary findings on Endeavor Air’s ground collision at LaGuardia Airport, highlighting communication and human factors.
NTSB Releases Preliminary Findings on LaGuardia Ground Collision
In the world of commercial aviation, safety is the paramount objective, built upon layers of procedure, technology, and human performance. When incidents occur, they are scrutinized to reinforce and improve this system. On October 1, 2025, an event at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) put this process into motion when two Endeavor Air aircraft, operating as Delta Connection, collided on the ground. The incident, while resulting in only one minor injury, triggered a full-scale investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The collision involved Endeavor Air flight 5155, a Bombardier CRJ-900 preparing for departure to Roanoke, and Endeavor Air flight 5047, another CRJ-900 that had just arrived from Charlotte. The event occurred at a low speed at the intersection of taxiways M and A. While ground incidents are not uncommon, a collision between two Commercial-Aircraft resulting in substantial damage warrants a thorough and transparent investigation. The NTSB’s role is not to assign blame but to meticulously uncover the factual sequence of events and determine a probable cause to prevent future occurrences.
The agency recently released its preliminary report, offering the first official, fact-based look into the circumstances surrounding the collision. This report is a critical first step, compiling data from flight recorders, air traffic control communications, airport surveillance, and crew interviews. It provides a timeline and a factual basis for the ongoing investigation, allowing us to break down the known elements of the incident while the NTSB continues its comprehensive analysis.
A Factual Breakdown of the Collision
The NTSB’s preliminary report provides a clear, moment-by-moment account of the events leading up to the collision. By examining air traffic control (ATC) transcripts and data from the aircraft, we can reconstruct the timeline and understand the instructions given to each flight crew. The clarity of these communications is a focal point of the investigation.
Air Traffic Control Communications and Crew Actions
According to the report, at 9:54:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time, the ground controller at LaGuardia instructed the crew of flight 5047 (the arriving aircraft) to taxi to their gate via taxiway B to taxiway M. The flight crew correctly read back these instructions, indicating a clear understanding of their cleared path. This part of the sequence appears routine and without any ambiguity.
Just over a minute later, at 9:55:37 PM, the same ground controller issued taxi instructions to flight 5155 (the departing aircraft). The clearance was to taxi to runway 13 via taxiways A to E and to hold short of runway 4. Critically, the instruction included the directive to “give way to another Endeavor Air airplane at taxiway M.” At 9:55:41 PM, the crew of flight 5155 read back the controller’s instructions. The collision occurred approximately one minute later, at 9:56:40 PM.
The investigation’s focus sharpens on the period between the readback and the impact. Airports surveillance video captured the event, showing flight 5047 turning onto taxiway M and coming to an abrupt stop as it neared the intersection with taxiway A. Approximately two seconds later, the right wing of the eastbound flight 5155 struck the nose of the stationary flight 5047.
Two Different Perspectives
Interviews with the flight crews provide crucial, albeit differing, perspectives. The crew of the arriving flight, 5047, stated their taxi was normal. The captain reported seeing the other aircraft approaching from his left and brought his plane to a stop. A few seconds later, their aircraft was struck. Their account aligns with the sequence of events captured by airport surveillance footage.
The account from the flight deck of the departing flight, 5155, is more complex. The first officer told investigators he recalled hearing the full taxi clearance and did not find it confusing. However, the captain’s recollection was different. He recalled the instruction to taxi and hold short of runway 4 but stated he did not recall hearing the specific instruction to “give way” to the other aircraft at taxiway M.
The captain [of flight 5155] stated he was focused on calculating performance numbers for landing at the destination airport. He saw flight 5047 to the right, attempted to veer left, and applied the brakes immediately before the collision.
This discrepancy in recollection is a central point in the preliminary report. Human factors, including cockpit workload and situational awareness, will likely be a significant area of focus as the NTSB continues its analysis. The data from the Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) from both aircraft were successfully recovered and will be instrumental in building a complete picture of the actions and conversations inside each cockpit.
The Aftermath and Investigation
In the immediate aftermath of the collision, the priority was the safety of the 93 passengers and crew members across both aircraft. Emergency protocols were activated, and while the incident was low-speed, the damage to the multi-million dollar aircraft was significant. The subsequent investigation now involves a methodical process of evidence collection and analysis by the NTSB and other involved parties.
Assessing the Damage and Human Impact
The NTSB classified the damage to both aircraft as “substantial.” Flight 5155, with registration N902XJ, sustained heavy damage to its right wing. The report specifies that the outboard slat, the aileron, and the wing tip separated from the aircraft. Flight 5047, registration N480PX, incurred major damage to its nose and the captain’s windshield, which was directly impacted by the other plane’s wing.
Fortunately, the human cost was minimal. A single flight attendant aboard flight 5155 reported a minor injury and was transported to a hospital for evaluation. No other injuries were reported among any of the passengers or crew. Passengers from both flights were deplaned on the taxiway and transported by bus back to the terminal, a standard procedure to ensure safety after such an event.
The weather at the time of the incident was not a factor. The meteorological report for LaGuardia indicated clear skies and visibility of 10 statute miles, ensuring that visual conditions were optimal for ground operations.
The Investigative Path Forward
The NTSB’s investigation is a collaborative effort. The agency is leading the inquiry, with participation from several other organizations, including the FAA, the aircraft operator Endeavor Air, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). This multi-party approach ensures that expertise from all facets of the operation,piloting, air traffic control, and airline procedures,is brought to bear on the investigation.
The preliminary report is just the first public document in a process that can take 12 to 24 months to complete. Investigators will continue to synchronize the data from the flight recorders with ATC transcripts and surveillance video. They will conduct further interviews and analyze airline training protocols, airport signage, and any other factors that could have contributed to the incident.
The ultimate goal is to produce a final report that not only identifies a probable cause but also issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing a recurrence. These recommendations can influence everything from pilot training and ATC phraseology to airport taxiway design. Every incident is treated as a learning opportunity to further strengthen the safety of the national airspace system.
Preliminary Findings and Future Implications
The NTSB’s preliminary report on the LaGuardia ground collision successfully establishes a baseline of facts. It confirms that a clear instruction to “give way” was issued by air traffic control and read back by the departing flight’s crew. It also documents the captain’s lack of recollection of this critical command, highlighting a potential breakdown in situational awareness. The report meticulously details the physical damage and confirms the fortunate absence of serious injuries.
As the investigation moves forward, the focus will shift from “what happened” to “why it happened.” The final analysis will delve deeper into human factors, cockpit resource management, and operational pressures. The findings could have broad implications, potentially leading to new recommendations for training on high-workload phases of flight, even during ground operations. For now, the report stands as a testament to a transparent and methodical investigative process designed to ensure that every flight is a safe one.
FAQ
Question: What caused the collision between the two Endeavor Air planes at LaGuardia?
Answer: The NTSB has not yet determined a probable cause. The preliminary report is a statement of facts collected so far. It notes that air traffic control instructed the departing aircraft (flight 5155) to “give way” to the arriving aircraft (flight 5047), but a collision still occurred. The full investigation is ongoing.
Question: Was anyone seriously injured in the incident?
Answer: No. According to the NTSB, one flight attendant sustained minor injuries. There were no reported injuries to any of the passengers or other crew members on either aircraft.
Question: What happens next in the NTSB’s investigation?
Answer: The NTSB will continue to analyze all evidence, including the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, surveillance video, and interviews. This process typically takes 12 to 24 months. A final report will eventually be published, which will include an official probable cause and may contain safety recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
Sources
Photo Credit: NTSB
Regulations & Safety
NTSB Preliminary Report: Ryanair 737-800 Engine Failure
NTSB confirms fan-blade-out on Ryanair 737-800 shattered cabin window, partially ejecting a passenger during climb from Thessaloniki.
This is a developing story. Information may change as official details are released.
This is original reporting and analysis by AirPro News.
On August 13, 2026, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its preliminary report on a July 10 uncontained engine failure aboard a Ryanair Boeing 737-800, confirming that a fan-blade-out event shattered a cabin window and caused a rapid decompression. The incident resulted in a 61-year-old male passenger being partially pulled through the shattered window before being secured by fellow passengers.
The event occurred during climb out from Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG) in Greece. The flight, operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air, was bound for Memmingen, Germany (FMM). The NTSB is currently investigating potential similarities between this event and a fatal 2018 engine failure, while the agency has also publicly addressed premature speculation regarding the cause by Ryanair leadership.
Flight 1879 rapid decompression
According to the NTSB preliminary report, the Boeing 737-800 was climbing when the right-hand CFM56-7B engine experienced a fan-blade-out event. Debris from the engine struck the fuselage and shattered a window at row 11. The resulting rapid decompression pulled a passenger partially outside the aircraft. The passenger sustained neck and shoulder injuries as well as friction burns, but no fatalities occurred.
Reporting by The Air Current indicates the failure happened at an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet. Passengers described a sudden and violent disruption to the flight. A passenger told AP News that the cabin was quiet before a loud noise resembling a bursting tire occurred, adding that they knew immediately the aircraft had lost pressure due to the sudden loss of altitude.
Initial reports following the July 10 incident suggested the failure occurred in the airspace of the Republic of North Macedonia. However, flight path analysis confirmed the event took place in Greek airspace. The Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority officially delegated the investigation to the NTSB on July 16, 2026.
Maintenance history and preliminary findings
The NTSB preliminary report notes that bird remains were found inside the damaged engine. Flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the aircraft’s number two engine in the 12 months preceding the accident. The report states that bird remains were found in two of those previous cases.
Maintenance records indicate that the fan blades on the failed right engine underwent ultrasonic inspections in November 2025 and May 2026. No damage was found during either inspection. The official cause of the July 10 failure remains under investigation by the NTSB, with participation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing, and CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran.
Regulatory protocols and historical precedent
The investigation has generated friction between the NTSB and Ryanair regarding public communications. On August 7, 2026, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy issued a letter to Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary after he told investors the investigation was focused on foreign object damage rather than aircraft age or maintenance. Homendy stated that the NTSB had made no such determination and noted that O’Leary’s comments violated International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 protocols governing accident investigations.
The aviation industry is closely monitoring the investigation due to the aircraft and engine types involved. The Air Current reported that the event closely mirrors the April 2018 Southwest Airlines flight 1380 uncontained engine failure, which also involved a Boeing 737-700 and a CFM56-7B engine. That incident resulted in one passenger fatality after a shattered window caused partial ejection, leading the FAA to mandate engine inlet redesigns by July 2028.
The NTSB addressed the historical context directly in its preliminary report:
The investigative team is aware of previous … events with similar engine models that resulted in damage to engine inlets or cowlings and fuselage structures. Determination of any relevant similarities or details between this accident and previous events remains under investigation.
AirPro News analysis
We observe that the public rebuke of a major airline CEO by the NTSB is a rare and significant enforcement of ICAO Annex 13 communication protocols. Operators typically defer entirely to the investigating authority to avoid compromising the integrity of an active probe. The NTSB’s swift correction underscores the agency’s zero-tolerance policy for operator speculation, particularly when an event involves high-profile safety concerns like uncontained engine failures.
The CFM56-7B is one of the most widely used commercial aviation engines in the world. Any investigation involving a fan-blade-out event on this powerplant will naturally draw intense regulatory scrutiny, especially given the precedent set by the 2018 Southwest Airlines accident. While the discovery of bird remains introduces foreign object damage as a variable, we expect investigators will rigorously examine the efficacy of the ultrasonic inspections conducted in November 2025 and May 2026 to understand how the blade failure propagated.
Sources: National Transportation Safety Board
Photo Credit: NTSB
Regulations & Safety
FAA Installs New Surface Radar at Newark Airport
The FAA unveiled a new SMR-4 radar at Newark Liberty as part of a $30 million infrastructure upgrade targeting runway safety.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford unveiled a new Surface Movement Radar-Systems Model 4 (SMR-4) at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on August 11, 2026, replacing a 30-year-old legacy system.
The installation is part of a broader $30 million infrastructure upgrade at the New Jersey hub designed to prevent runway incursions and reduce delays. According to the FAA press release, the SMR-4 allows air traffic controllers to track aircraft and ground vehicles across runways and taxiways in all weather and visibility conditions.
Newark’s infrastructure modernization
The $30 million funding allocation for EWR spans a three-year period and targets critical technological vulnerabilities. During the summer of 2025, the Airports experienced severe delays that prompted the FAA to deploy Software patches, expedite fiber deployment, and rebalance flight volumes. To date, 90% of the airport’s legacy copper wiring has been replaced with high-speed fiber.
“Since the start of this administration, we have been working towards building a modern system that will serve America’s skies for generations,” Duffy stated. “From replacing Newark’s ancient copper wire to investing $30 million into new infrastructure and bringing new radar online, we are delivering real safety and efficiency enhancements at one of our nation’s busiest airports.”
The FAA has set a target deadline of summer 2027 for EWR to install new electronic information displays, upgraded voice switches, and a new long-range radar system.
National surface awareness rollout
The EWR installation is one of five SMR-4 systems deployed nationwide to date. The agency has accelerated its broader technological overhaul over the past year, replacing 60% of all copper wires in its national network and converting 363 radio sites. The FAA also transitioned 19 air traffic control towers to electronic flight strips and installed 151 IP voice switches at control towers across the country.
Bedford emphasized the operational volume driving the upgrades. “Newark sees well-over a thousand flights per day, and the new Surface Movement Radar will help controllers keep those flights safe at this major U.S. hub,” Bedford said, describing the deployment as a step toward modernizing the national airspace.
The push for enhanced surface surveillance follows a fatal runway incursion at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on March 22, 2026. In that event, Air Canada (AC) Express Flight 8646, operated by Jazz Aviation using a Bombardier CRJ900, collided with an airport firefighting vehicle on Runway 4. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed two pilot fatalities and 39 injuries. The NTSB is leading the ongoing Investigation, and no official cause has been determined.
In response to surface safety concerns, the FAA has installed 96 new Surface Awareness Initiative systems nationwide over the past year to provide controllers with better situational awareness.
AirPro News analysis
The FAA’s rapid deployment of 96 Surface Awareness Initiative systems and the ongoing SMR-4 rollout represent a tangible shift toward proactive technological intervention in ground operations. While the NTSB has not yet concluded its investigation into the March 2026 LaGuardia runway incursion, the agency’s aggressive timeline for replacing legacy copper wiring and installing surface tracking tools indicates that regulators are prioritizing immediate situational awareness upgrades for air traffic controllers. We view the $30 million targeted investment at EWR as a template the FAA is likely to replicate at other high-density hubs where legacy infrastructure limits operational capacity during low-visibility conditions.
Sources: Federal Aviation Administration
Photo Credit: Federal Aviation Administration
Regulations & Safety
FAA Revises Takeoff Obstacle Notes in Terminal Procedures
The FAA updates its Terminal Procedures Publication to simplify IFR departure planning with new DER crossing altitudes.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is revising the presentation of takeoff obstacle notes within its Terminal Procedures Publication (TPP), offering pilots a simplified method to utilize standard climb gradients during Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) departures.
In a press release issued on August 5, 2026, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced the charting updates. The revisions provide pilots with a specific Departure End of Runway (DER) crossing altitude, allowing them to safely clear low, close-in obstacles without calculating non-standard climb requirements for every individual threat.
Restructuring Obstacle Departure Procedures
Under the updated format, the FAA separates “Takeoff Minimums Obstacles” from “Low, Close-in Obstacles.” The agency defines low, close-in obstacles as those measuring 200 feet or less above the DER elevation.
Previously, pilots faced complex lists of individual obstacles during pre-flight planning. The new charting method consolidates these threats into distance groupings measured in quarter-mile increments from the DER. If a pilot meets the newly published DER crossing altitude, they can proceed using the standard IFR climb gradient of 200 feet per nautical mile (ft/NM) rather than a higher, non-standard gradient.
Industry advocacy and implementation timeline
The NBAA initially launched the effort to address the complexity of takeoff obstacle notes in 2015 during the FAA Aeronautical Charting Meeting. The resulting changes stem from collaboration between the FAA, the U.S. Instrument Flight Procedure Panel, and commercial charting providers including Jeppesen and Garmin.
While the FAA has officially adopted the new presentation standards, updating the entire National Airspace System will require a phased approach. The NBAA noted that the transition across all published procedures and commercial charts will take several years to complete.
AirPro News analysis
We view this charting revision as a practical step toward reducing pilot workload during IFR departure planning. By providing a clear DER crossing altitude that validates a standard 200 ft/NM climb, the FAA removes the ambiguity of evaluating multiple low, close-in obstacles individually. This change will be particularly beneficial for operators of aircraft with limited climb performance, allowing them to determine immediately if reported weather conditions permit visual obstacle avoidance when a higher climb gradient is unachievable.
Photo Credit: NBAA
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