NEW YORK CITY – Tragedy struck New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night when an Air Canada passenger plane collided with a fire truck, leaving two people dead and dozens more injured.
Pilots killed
What we know:
The crash on the airport’s runway claimed the two lives, the pilot and first officer of the Air Canada Express CRJ-900, which was landing in New York on its way from Montreal.
The nose of the regional jet was left completely mangled after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at 11:45 p.m.
Dozens injured
Dig deeper:
There were 72 passengers and four crew members, a captain, first officer and two flight attendants, at the time of the crash, according to Jazz Aviation.
In total, 41 people, including passengers, crew members and Port Authority Police Department officers were transported to “Level 1” trauma centers in the city. At least 32 have been released, but some with “serious injuries” remain hospitalized.
Sources tell FOX 5 NY’s Lisa Evers that a flight attendant who was strapped into her seat was ejected. Her condition is not known at this time.
The two PAPD officers who were on the fire truck that collided with the plane suffered broken bones and are expected to survive, according to the NY Post.
What we don’t know:
The identities of the pilots killed in the crash, along with the conditions of those injured, have yet to be released.
What they’re saying:
A passenger who was onboard the plane at the time of the crash witnessed several people hit their heads, and said a lot of people got hurt. He also praised the pilot for his final act.
“But looking back on it, the pilot did the best thing he could,” the passenger said. “He hit the brakes as hard as he could, and he knew he was going to be at the cost of his own life.”
What you can do:
Air Canada has set up a phone line (800-961-7099) for friends and family to get the latest information.
The backstory:
Air traffic control audio captured the chaotic moments leading up to the collision.
A PAPD unit identified as “truck 1 and company” requested permission to cross the runway from the tower, which cleared the vehicle to cross Runway 4 at Delta before urgently issuing multiple commands to stop.
“Stop stop stop stop stop… stop truck 1 stop,” the controller can be heard saying.
Shortly after, operations at the airport were halted. Port Authority officials say the crash involved a PAPD emergency vehicle that had been responding to another aircraft reporting an odor.
The Source: This report is based on information from LaGuardia Airport, Jazz Aviation and the NY Post.
