Two pilots have been killed after an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, closing the airport for several hours. The incident occurred at about 11.45pm ET on Sunday as the firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate emergency.
The CRJ-900 plane, operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal. Nine people remain hospitalised. The pilots were identified as Antoine Forest, 30, and Mackenzie Gunther, both based in Canada.
National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said an investigation is under way, with the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder recovered. The runway where the crash took place will remain closed due to debris and hazardous material.
Audio recordings show an air traffic controller attempting to stop a vehicle crossing the runway before the collision. In a subsequent exchange, a pilot is heard saying, 'We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up,' to which another pilot responds, 'Nah, man, you did the best you could.'
Donald Trump commented that 'they made a mistake; it’s a dangerous business,' while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the collision 'deeply saddening'. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA is deploying a team to support the investigation, including looking at air traffic control staffing levels.
LaGuardia reopened at 2pm on Monday, but passengers were warned of delays. The fire truck had been responding to a United Airlines flight that declared an emergency due to an odour onboard. Photos show significant damage to the plane’s nose and the fire truck tipped on its side.
