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Recently released audio captures the tense moments when an air traffic controller desperately tried to prevent a fire truck from crossing paths with an Air Canada jet, which ultimately led to a tragic collision at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot.
The aircraft, arriving from Montreal, was touching down at approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday night when it collided with a fire truck positioned on the runway.
As reported by NBC New York, the air traffic control recordings detail the chaotic moments preceding the crash. The incident unfolded after another flight declared an emergency on a different part of the airport.
The fire truck had initially been given clearance to cross Runway 4. However, in a frantic attempt to avert disaster, air traffic controllers ordered both the fire truck and a Frontier Airlines flight headed for Miami to come to an immediate stop.
In the recording, a controller urgently commands, “Truck One, stop, stop, stop!” Moments later, addressing the Air Canada flight, the controller states, “JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now.”
Air traffic controllers told the Frontier crew that the runway would be closed, asking if they would like to return to the ramp.
‘We got stuff in progress for that man, that wasn’t good to watch,’ a Frontier pilot said.
‘Yeah, I tried to reach out to them. We were dealing with an emergency, and I messed up,’ the controller replied, before the Frontier pilot tries to reassure him, saying: ‘No, you did the best you could.’
An Air Canada Express plane collided with a Port Authority vehicle on Sunday night on Runway 4 of LaGuardia Airport. The cockpit suffered severe damage
The jet, which had reportedly been carrying 76 passengers and crew, being removed from the runway by Port Authority Police following the incident
The plane could be seen on the tarmac after the incident, with its nose badly damaged, front tilted into the air.
The flight was affiliated with Jazz Aviation, a regional airline in Nova Scotia, and was operating on behalf of Air Canada.
Two pilots were left dead following the collision, and 41 people were hospitalised.Â
According to unnamed sources via the NY Post, a female flight attendant was ejected through the front of the jet while still in her seat during the crash. She survived and was rushed to the hospital. Â
‘Emergency response protocols were immediately activated. The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s Chairman and Executive Director,’ a Port Authority spokesman said in a statement.
‘The Port Authority Police Department is working closely with our airline partners as well as federal authorities, and will provide additional updates as more details become available.’
The New York Fire Department confirmed to the Daily Mail that its crews had received reports of an incident involving an aircraft and a vehicle on runway four.
The Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft was carrying 76 passengers and crew during the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a ground stop due to an aircraft emergency, effectively closing LaGuardia Airport at 11.50pm EST.
Photos of the aftermath showed Port Authority Police removing the front half of the plane.
Port Authority’s vehicle was pictured after the collision turned on its side as several emergency responders flooded the runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the collision.
The Daily Mail has reached out to LaGuardia Airport, the FAA, and Air Canada for comment.
LaGuardia warned of flight disruptions due to weather conditions at 8.30pm EST as New York experienced rainy conditions.
The Port Authority vehicle was turned on its side as several emergency responders flooded the runway
Emergency personnel worked to clear the damage overnight on Monday in the aftermath of the collisionÂ
Port Authority Police and FDNY responded to the collision. LaGuardia subsequently closed to allow emergency crews to respond. The aftermath of the collision is pictured above as Port Authority worked to clear the planeÂ
The incident comes as airports are already facing mounting pressure amid a DHS funding standoff.
LaGuardia is among many airports facing challenges, with employees forced to work without pay and passengers facing long security lines.
Travelers reported lines spilling through the parking lot on Sunday morning, with some saying they waited for up to three hours.
Donald Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be sent to airports on Monday to help TSA agents.
‘If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before!’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
‘I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to,’GET READY.’ NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!’
Border czar Tom Homan told CNN that he had been working to finalize a plan with ICE Director Tedd Lyons and acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill to deploy ICE agents.
He added that the officials would have a plan, including which airports would be targeted, in place by the end of the day on Sunday.