A tragic accident at New York LaGuardia Airport has left two pilots dead and dozens injured after an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck on the runway after a critical Air Traffic Control error.
Air Canada Jet Collides With Fire Truck At LaGuardia, Killing Two Pilots
An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 operating from Montreal (YUL) to New York (LGA) collided with an airport fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night.
The aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Both pilots were killed in the collision, while at least 41 people were transported to hospitals, including passengers and personnel on the ground.
The impact caused severe damage to the front of the aircraft, effectively destroying the cockpit section. LaGuardia Airport was shut down following the incident, with hundreds of flights disrupted.
How Did This Happen?
Early indications point to a troubling sequence of events involving runway access.
The fire truck involved in the collision was responding to a separate emergency involving a United Airlines aircraft bound for Chicago (ORD) that had reported smoke in the flight deck.. At some point, it was cleared by the lone ATC controller in the tower to cross the runway.
At the same time, the Air Canada jet was on final approach.
Air traffic control audio captures the final moments before impact, with a controller realizing his error and urgently warning the vehicle:
“Stop, stop, stop!”
The warning came too late.
The aircraft struck the fire truck during landing, with flight data suggesting the jet was still moving at significant speed on touchdown.
Runway incursions involving ground vehicles are rare, but when they occur, the consequences can be severe. We’ve had many near misses lately, but this was tragically not on eon them.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other agencies have launched an investigation, but it already appears clear at this point what happened. In fact, the air traffic controller even said to another pilot after the incident that “we were dealing with an emergency earlier, and I messed up.”
CONCLUSION
This is a deeply tragic incident, first and foremost for the pilots who lost their lives and for the passengers and crew who were injured. Several remain critically injured and hospitalized.
We’ve had many near misses this year, magnified by social media, but this tragedy demonstrates how little room for error there is.
I feel very bad for the air traffic controller, who was alone and probably under tremendous pressure as that agency continues to face chronic understaffing. To live with that burden…goodness. I send my thoughts and prayers to all victims of this accident, but especially the families of the pilots.
Well said, Matt. It is a tragic accident, and I, too, feel for those affected by it. (Inevitably, some of your readers are soon going to ‘go-there’ so that’ll be ‘fun.’ Can’t let a tragedy go to waste…) *deep sigh*
Can you imagine the outrage if this had happened under Mayor Pete’s watch?
Oof. Neither Pete nor Sean deserve that.
I found Captain Steeeve’s video from today on the incident helpful:
https://youtu.be/Hx-GFeErXD8?si=mgFQ9qalwMBwjpo7
Very tragic and sad, regardless of what the investigations conclude.
It seems ATC mistakenly gave the fire truck approval to cross an active runway, but recalled it immediately. Unfortunately, it was too late because the Air Canada Express CRJ900 jet had already landed.
Visibility was bad, too. We’ve had dense mist rain conditions for the past 18 hours in NYC.
Correct.
Deepest sympathies to the families and the loved ones of the deceased pilots. Speedy recovery to the injured ones.
This is another grim proof that, while aviation disasters are rare, they are never impossible to happen.
First prayers for everyone, including the lone controller. It would help to understand the pressures the ATC faces daily and consequences of being alone on a night that had two emergencies. We worry our pilots are receiving proper rest and protect them appropriately, but are the controllers checked upon also? Their responsibilities are equally serious, and I fear ignored because of the shortage.
Well said.
I heard a report that passengers evacuated without their cabin baggage. This shows that the system works.
The plane was initially upright but the people in front ran out first causing a weight imbalance and the plane pointing upwards. A few did not escape so some stairs were brought to let them walk out. They didn’t evacuate under 90 seconds.
If Canada were the 51st state, this likely wouldn’t have happened. There would be more commerce between the 51st state and the rest of the US resulting in a larger plane, not a regional jet. However, mention of the 51st state touches a raw nerve.
Alternatively, if the U.S. were to become the 11th Canadian province, Trump would be able to ram through all of his legislation because that is how Canada runs. It’s a limited dictatorship, a true dictatorship but with elections if people really get fed up with the dictator. One problem with the US being the 11th province is that Canada is not a democracy and would probably assign the entire US about 5 Senators. Canada arbitrarily assigns how many Senators each province has and it is not based on population. Basically, older provinces get more say, another example of how Canada is a dictatorship. Canada should love Trump because Canada likes limited dictatorship.
Air Canada is morally at fault. The flight was 2 hours late. If on time or even 90 minutes late, the collision would not have happened.
Indeed, for reasons yet to be revealed, the fact that the plane departed Montreal approximately two hours late is another factor of bad luck.
Let’s add that the unfortunate aircraft involved in the accident was one of Air Canada Express’s 29 Bombardier CRJ-900s and was 20.5 years old.
My condolences to the families of those involved. Also, ONE LONE ATC? AT LGA? This shouldn’t be happening!!
That is a false rumor. There were 3 controllers working though one was on a coffee break in the break room.
I encourage you to listen to the entire recording. The one released at large was heavily edited. The driver of the truck was given clearance with ample time and delayed their crossing.
That’s a key detail.