Two Pilots Killed in LaGuardia Airport Collision with Fire Truck
Two pilots were killed and 41 others injured late Sunday night when an Air Canada Express plane collided with a Port Authority fire and rescue vehicle on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, officials said. The incident prompted the closure of the airport, with reopening not expected before 2 p.m. On Monday, and potentially longer.
Details of the Collision
The collision involved Air Canada Flight 8646, operated by Jazz Aviation, which was arriving from Montreal. The aircraft, a CRJ 900, carried 72 passengers and four crew members. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft was traveling at approximately 39 kilometers per hour at the time of impact NBC News.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stated that the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the collision. Forty-one people were transported to local hospitals, with 39 from the aircraft and two members of the Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting team from the truck. As of Monday morning, 32 people had been released from hospitals, though some sustained serious injuries NBC News.
Sequence of Events and Air Traffic Control Communication
The Port Authority fire truck was responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight, which had reported an odor in the cabin and requested assistance. The United Airlines pilots had aborted their takeoff due to an anti-ice warning light and reported that flight attendants were feeling ill Reuters, NBC News.
Audio recordings reveal that air traffic control cleared the fire-rescue vehicle to cross the runway and then urgently instructed it to stop multiple times, saying “Stop, stop, stop. Truck 1, stop” CBC News.
An air traffic controller was heard expressing regret after the collision, stating, “I messed up,” while speaking with the pilot of a Frontier flight CBC News.
Investigation Underway
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation, sending a “head team” to LaGuardia Airport. Investigators will examine air traffic control tapes, radar data, and cockpit voice recordings, as well as conduct witness interviews NBC News, CBC News.
Former NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt estimated the investigation could take between 12 and 18 months. Investigators will focus on the communication breakdown that allowed the vehicle to be on the runway during the plane’s landing, and whether the air traffic controller was working alone NBC News.
Authorities have stated that initial indications suggest the collision was an accident, with no evidence of foul play or terrorism NBC News.