Bird Radar May Expand to All NYC-Area Airports

Authorities said they want a sophisticated bird-detection system at a New York airport where a US Airways plane took off before splashing down in the Hudson River.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Aviation Director William DeCota said the system could easily encompass all three major regional airports _ LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark.

He said the system is already slated to be deployed at Kennedy airport. The system beeps when birds fly near a jet, allowing air traffic controllers to warn pilots.

Flight 1549 departed from LaGuardia on Jan. 15 before a collision with birds knocked out both engines. The pilot ditched the plane in the river. All 155 aboard survived.

The National Transportation Safety Board discovered a feather on one of the plane's wings.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us