LaGuardia Airport crash: Plane was traveling 93-105 mph at time of ground collision
A regional Air Canada jet collided into a Port Authority airport vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, an on-the-ground crash that demolished the front of the airplane, killed two pilots, injured dozens of passengers and prompted the airport to shut down, law enforcement and aviation officials said.
At least 43 people were taken to hospitals after the plane, which was operated by Jazz Aviation, struck a rescue-and-firefighting vehicle that had been responding to a separate incident around 11:45 p.m. Sunday, according to Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia.
The plane's pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the crash, officials said, and two Port Authority officers were among the injured.
LaGuardia closed after the incident -- the airport's first fatal crash in three decades -- and reopened at 2 p.m. Monday, according to authorities.
The collision happened shortly after Air Canada Flight 8646, which was carrying four crew members and 72 passengers, touched down from Montreal, Garcia said.
The Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle had been deployed to another aircraft that experienced an aborted takeoff, Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said. The vehicle had requested permission and had been cleared by the air traffic controller to cross Runway 4 at taxiway Delta, according to audio recordings. Shortly after that permission was granted, an air traffic controller was heard telling the vehicle to stop several times right before the collision, according to the recordings.
Preliminary data shows the Air Canada plane was traveling between 93 and 105 mph when it impacted the fire truck, FlightRadar24 told ABC News.
All passengers were accounted for, Garcia said, and an unaccompanied minor on the plane was reunited with their family.
The two pilots who were killed have not been identified, but Bedford said they were “young men at the start of their career," calling their deaths “an absolute tragedy.”
When LaGuardia shut down, major airlines waived rebooking fees and issued travel alerts for the canceled flights. LaGuardia resumed operations Monday afternoon with a single runway, so delays and cancellations are expected as operations restart slowly, the FAA said.
The runway where the collision occurred will remain closed until 7 a.m. ET Friday, according to an FAA notice.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators responded to the scene, and teams from Air Canada and Jazz Aviation also headed to LaGuardia. Canadian authorities will be involved in the investigation as the plane was operated by a Canadian carrier, but the NTSB is leading the investigation since the collision occurred in the U.S.
"The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of this accident ... we will not rest until the conclusion of that investigation," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference on Monday.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder have been retrieved from the plane and driven to the agency's labs in Washington, D.C. So far, they have been able to confirm that the cockpit voice recorder was not damaged, while the flight data recorder is expected to be examined on Tuesday, she said.
Other evidence collected so far includes surveillance video, Homendy said.
The runway will need to remain closed for several days to examine the debris from the collision, she said.
"There's a lot of debris," Homendy said during a press briefing Monday evening. "That's all evidence, and we need to document that first, then we need to collect some of that evidence."
The NTSB is working to verify how many air traffic controllers were working at the time of the collision, Homendy said.
She said NTSB investigators are continuing to respond to the scene, noting there have been challenges in travel due to issues such as long airport security lines.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said LaGuardia’s air traffic control is "very well-staffed," with 33 certified controllers and seven in training. He said the target is 37 controllers. Duffy did not say how many controllers were working Sunday night.
Bedford noted that there was mist and fog at LaGuardia at the time of the crash, which came 34 years to the day since the last fatal incident at LaGuardia Airport.
"We know this is a difficult day for everyone," Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau said in a video message.
"We know that there are many questions, but at this early stage, we do not have all the answers as the circumstances are still being assessed," Rousseau said.
He said the airline is focused on caring for the passengers, crew and their families.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the collision "deeply saddening."
"Canadian officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts on the ground as the investigation continues. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those impacted," he wrote on social media.
