2 dead, LaGuardia closed after crash between plane and vehicle
Originally Published: 23 MAR 26 00:47 ET
Updated: 23 MAR 26 04:20 ET
By Karina Tsui, Martin Goillandeau, Lex Harvey, Shimon Prokupecz, Gloria Pazmino, Aaron Cooper, CNN
(CNN) — An Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Sunday, killing the pilot and copilot and injuring two others, a law enforcement official told CNN.
Around 11:40 p.m., a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, which was responding to a separate incident, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
“Emergency response protocols were immediately activated,” the spokesperson said. “The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation.”
Two people inside the truck were injured in the crash, the official told CNN. The truck had preliminarily been cleared and was responding to a nearby flight that had requested assistance for an unknown odor in the cockpit, the official said.
The Port Authority has not released any information on injuries. Photos and videos from the scene showed severe damage to the nose of the plane.
Jazz confirmed the incident involving Air Canada flight 8646 from Montreal in a statement early Monday. The CRJ-900 aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew members, according to a preliminary list, the airline said.
No major injuries were reported among the 72 passengers, the law enforcement source told CNN.
The flight took off from Montreal Trudeau International Airport shortly after 10:30 p.m. ET and arrived at LaGuardia about an hour later, according to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24.
The plane was going about 130 miles per hour just before it hit the fire truck, according to the last data point collected before the collision by Flightradar24.
The New York City Fire Department said it responded to a reported incident involving a plane and vehicle on the airport’s runway at around 11:38 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at LaGuardia shortly after the collision due to an “aircraft emergency.” The airport is expected to be closed until 2 p.m. Monday, according to the FAA.
Sunday’s collision comes as airports across the US have been thrown into turmoil amid the ongoing lapse of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has left Transportation Security Administration officers working without pay.
Half of the nation’s busiest airports had more than a third of TSA officers call out Saturday, as passengers reported waiting hours in security lines. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will deploy to airports Monday to help fill the gaps, federal officials said.
Air traffic control audio captures the moments leading up to the collision, which began with another flight reporting an emergency on the other side of the airport.
United flight 2384 aborted a takeoff due to a warning light, and the pilots reported an odor in the cabin had sickened the flight attendants, according to a LiveATC.com recording of air traffic control audio.
To get from the airport fire station to the United plane, the fire truck was granted permission to cross the runway where the Air Canada plane was landing, according to the air traffic control audio.
Seconds later, the controller urgently orders the truck to stop, before saying there has been a collision on the field.
“Truck One, stop, stop, stop!” an air traffic controller is heard saying, before addressing the plane seconds later: “JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now.”
A CNN reporter at the scene around 2 a.m. said the runway was filled with emergency vehicles.
The NTSB said it is launching an investigative team that’s expected to arrive Monday.
Earlier, LaGuardia warned of flight disruptions due to weather conditions, with light rain and fog hitting the area.
CNN has reached out tothe FAA.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
UPDATE (1:37 a.m. MDT) -- Two people died after the late-night crash between an Air Canada plane and fire truck, according to police.
Another 13 people are hospitalized, including two first responders, officials said.
Originally Published: 23 MAR 26 00:47 ET
Updated: 23 MAR 26 01:59 ET
By Karina Tsui, Martin Goillandeau, Lex Harvey, CNN
(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at LaGuardia Airport in New York due to an “aircraft emergency.”
The New York City Fire Department said it responded to a reported incident involving a plane and vehicle on the airport’s runway at around 11:38 p.m.
The plane was Air Canada flight 8646, operated by regional carrier Jazz, according to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24. The CRJ-900 aircraft, currently manufactured by Mitsubishi, seats about 76 passengers.
The flight took off from Montreal Trudeau International Airport shortly after 10:30 p.m. ET and landed at LaGuardia about one hour later, according to FlightRadar24.
Air traffic control audio recorded from the incident captures the moments leading up to a reported collision between the plane and the vehicle.
In the recording, an air traffic controller grants permission for an operations truck to cross a runway. Seconds later, the controller urgently orders the truck to stop, before saying there has been a collision on the field.
“JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now,” an air traffic controller is heard saying in audio captured by the website LiveATC.net.
The NTSB told CNN it received notification of the incident but couldn’t provide more information.
Videos circulating on social media show emergency vehicles surrounding the aircraft with its cockpit appearing damaged.
Earlier, LaGuardia warned of flight disruptions due to weather conditions, with light rain and fog hitting the area.
CNN has reached out tothePort Authority of New York and New Jersey and the FAA.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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