CCTV footage has captured the exact moment an Air Canada Express aircraft collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, offering a clear visual account of the incident that occurred on Monday night.
The aircraft, Air Canada Express Flight AC8646, a Bombardier CRJ-900, struck a Port Authority fire truck while taxiing toward a gate amid bad weather. The flight had arrived from Montreal and was operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner.
According to NBC News, citing sources, both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the collision. Two police officers manning the fire truck were also injured and hospitalised. They are reportedly in stable condition.
Data from Flightradar24 indicated that the aircraft hit the vehicle at a speed of around 24 miles per hour (39 kmph). There were 72 passengers and four crew members on board, Reuters reported.
ATC AUDIO REVEALS CHAOS BEFORE COLLISION
Audio from air traffic control, along with a detailed transcript, captured the chaotic moments leading up to the crash and has raised questions about how the situation was handled.
In the exchange, a ground vehicle was cleared to cross the runway.
“Truck one and company, cross four at Delta,” the controller instructed, with the driver responding, “Truck one and company crossing four at Delta.”
Moments later, the situation escalated rapidly.
“Frontier 4195, stop there please Stop, stop, stop, truck one, stop Stop, truck one, stop!” the controller is heard urgently repeating, as an alarm sounded in the background.
Seconds later, another transmission confirmed the collision.
“Jazz 646 I see you collided with vehicle Hold position. Vehicles are responding to you now.”
In a subsequent exchange between controllers, one appeared to acknowledge an error.
“I tried to reach out to my staff we were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up,” the controller said. Another voice responded, “No man, you did the best you could.” The exchange is likely to be a key focus of the ongoing investigation into the incident.
AIRPORT DISRUPTION ADDS TO PRESSURE
The incident occurred as LaGuardia Airport was already dealing with significant congestion linked to a funding standoff affecting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Travellers reported waiting up to three hours for check-in as staffing shortages disrupted operations nationwide.
Many TSA agents have reportedly stayed off duty, while those working are doing so without pay. Billionaire Elon Musk has offered to cover their salaries.
The crisis stems from a funding impasse in Washington over the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA. Democrats have refused to support the funding measure, demanding increased oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has faced scrutiny over fatal shootings and alleged excessive use of force during immigration raids.
