An Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, in New York, on Sunday (22), resulting in and leaving two other people injured.
According to information released by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the collision occurred during the landing of the aircraft carrying 74 people. A passenger reported that there was no prior warning from the crew about the presence of a vehicle on the road.
“It was a difficult landing and it happened very quickly. People seemed scared and reacted when it became clear that we had hit something,” described one of the passengers who managed to leave the plane without needing hospitalization.
Attempt to warn before collision
Audios released by CNN reveal that a firefighter tried to warn the pilot via radio about the imminent impact with the emergency vehicle. “Frontier 4195, just stop there, please. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, Truck One, stop, stop, stop! Stop Truck One, stop! Truck One, stop!”, the firefighter says in audio broadcast by CNN New Day.
“JAS 646, I saw that you collided with the vehicle. Stay in position. I know you cannot move”, the recording is heard after the accident has already occurred.
The fire vehicle was responding to an emergency call from another aircraft when the accident occurred. The circumstances that led to the communication failure between the control tower, the fire truck and the Air Canada aircraft, which had departed from Montreal, Canada, are still unclear.
According to preliminary data, the plane was traveling at a speed of approximately 190 km/h at the time of impact. Of the 74 people on board, 41 passengers and crew members were taken to hospitals, including two people who were in the truck. Of this total, 32 people have already been discharged.
As a result of the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the suspension of operations at LaGuardia Airport, an important air transport hub in New York, until at least 2 pm (local time) on Monday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has already begun an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
