An Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday, killing the pilot and co-pilot and injuring two other people, a law enforcement official told CNN.
At around 11:40 pm (00:40 Brasília time), a Jazz Aviation flight, a Port Authority aircraft fire, which was responding to a separate incident, reported the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“Emergency response protocols were immediately activated,” the spokesperson said. “The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a full investigation.”
Two people inside the truck were injured in the accident, according to the CNN. The truck had already been preliminarily released and was on its way to respond to a call from a nearby flight that had requested assistance due to an unknown odor in the flight deck, the official source said.
The Port Authority did not release any information about injuries. Photos and videos from the scene show severe damage to the front of the aircraft.
Jazz confirmed the collision involving flight 8646, from Montreal, in a statement released this Monday morning (23). The CRJ-900 aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew, according to a preliminary list, the airline said.
The flight took off from Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport shortly after 10:30 p.m. ET and arrived at LaGuardia about an hour later, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
According to the last data collected before the collision by Flightradar24, the plane was traveling at around 210 kilometers per hour shortly before hitting the fire truck.
The New York City Fire Department reported that it responded to an incident involving an airplane and a vehicle on the airport runway at around 11:38 p.m.
Shortly after the collision, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) suspended ground operations at LaGuardia Airport due to an “aircraft emergency.” The airport is expected to remain closed until 2pm on Monday, according to the FAA.
Sunday’s collision comes as a continued lack of funding for the Department of Homeland Security has left Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents working without pay.
On Saturday (21), more than a third of TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agents at half of the country’s busiest airports were absent from work, with passengers reporting hours of waiting in security lines. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be sent to airports on Monday to help fill gaps, federal officials said.
Audio from the air traffic control center recorded during the incident captures the moments leading up to the alleged collision between the plane and the vehicle.
In the recording, an air traffic controller authorizes an operational truck to cross a runway. Seconds later, the controller urgently orders the truck to stop, before reporting that there has been a collision on the road.
“JAZZ 646, I see you have collided with the vehicle. Hold position. I know you cannot move. Vehicles are on the way,” an air traffic controller says in audio captured by LiveATC.net.
The NTSB reported that it is sending an investigation team that should arrive on Monday (23).
Videos circulating on social media show emergency vehicles surrounding the aircraft, whose cockpit appears to be damaged.
A CNN reporter at the scene around 2 a.m. said the road was packed with emergency vehicles.
Previously, LaGuardia had warned of possible flight disruptions due to the weather conditions, with light rain and fog hitting the region.
CNN contacted the FAA.
