Two pilots died and many people were injured after a plane hit a fire-rescue truck at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, officials said. The crash involved an Air Canada Express flight landing at the airport. The plane collided with a Port Authority fire-and-rescue vehicle on the runway.

The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, and both were Canadian nationals, as stated by CBS News. The aircraft was moving at around 100 mph when the collision happened. The flight was Air Canada Flight 8646 operated by Jazz Aviation. There were 72 passengers and four crew members on board the plane.

Injuries after runway crash

A total of 41 people were taken to hospitals, including passengers and two rescue officers from the truck. Officials said 32 people were later released, but some injuries were serious, as per CBS News quoting Executive Director Kathryn Garcia. Most injuries were broken bones and bruises, but one person suffered a brain bleed. A flight attendant strapped to her seat fell through a hole in the damaged plane and was rescued with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities said the crash appeared to be an accident, with no terrorism or foul play suspected. Investigators recovered the plane’s black boxes, including flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The airport was closed after the crash, and the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop until at least 2 p.m. Monday. At the same time, air traffic control was handling another emergency involving a United Airlines flight that reported an odor in the cabin.

Air traffic control mistake

Fire-rescue crews were responding to that separate United flight issue when the crash happened. Air traffic control had cleared the rescue vehicle to cross the runway and then told it to stop, as per the report by CBS News. An air traffic controller later said, “I messed up,” while speaking to another pilot after the crash. A pilot from a Frontier Airlines flight nearby said the accident was “not good to watch.”

A veteran pilot called the incident “very concerning” and said it is unusual to have emergency vehicles on the runway during landing. The plane was arriving from Montreal and had already landed when it hit the vehicle. The aircraft, a CRJ-900, suffered heavy damage, especially at the front. A passenger from another flight said he saw the plane missing its nose after the crash.

Crash investigation begins

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to investigate. Investigators will review air traffic recordings, radar data, and cockpit audio. The investigation is expected to take 12 to 18 months, as cited by CBS News. Investigators will check if there was a communication failure that allowed the vehicle on the runway.

They will also examine whether the air traffic controller was working alone. The rescue truck involved was responding to reports of an odor on another plane when it was struck, as noted by NBC News. Authorities warned that the airport closure could continue while the investigation is ongoing. Police advised people to avoid the area around the airport.

FAQs

Q1. What caused the crash at LaGuardia Airport?

The crash happened when an Air Canada plane hit a fire-rescue truck on the runway, and investigators are checking possible communication issues.

Q2. How many people were injured in the Air Canada crash?

Officials said 41 people were taken to hospitals, and many were later released after treatment.