A video revealed that just before an Air Canada Express aircraft struck a firetruck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York, a traffic controller gave the truck permission to cross the runway before giving it an urgent order to stop.
The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash on Sunday night, while 41 passengers were transported to the hospital, according to officials.
Shortly after 11:30 p.m., according to officials, the Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft collided with a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4. local time, following a flight from Montréal. Numerous passengers and ground personnel were hurt in the crash and transported to nearby hospitals, while the pilot and copilot of the aircraft perished.
A transcript of the conversation can be found below:
Driver: “Truck one and company, LaGuardia Tower. Requesting to cross four at Delta.”
Controller: “Truck one and company, cross four at Delta.”
Driver: “Truck one and company crossing four at Delta.”
Controller: “Frontier 4195, stop there please. (Pause.) Stop, stop, stop, truck one, stop, stop, stop. Stop, truck one, stop! Stop, truck one, stop.”
(The alarm goes off.)
“Jazz 646. Jazz 646, I see you collided with vehicle. (Inaudible) Hold position. I know he can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now.”
After more discussion.
Second controller: “Man, that wasn’t good to watch.”
First controller: “Yeah, I know. I was here. I tried to reach out to my staff. And we were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up.”
Second controller: “No man, you did the best you could.”
Both of the crew members in the cockpit perished as a result of the collision’s devastating effects. More than 40 people, including passengers, flight attendants, and at least two Port Authority police officers, were transported to hospitals, according to officials. Many of them had significant injuries, although many have already been released.
Emergency response personnel reported that many people on board survived the catastrophic crash, and other passengers recalled the moment of shock in the cabin when the plane hit the car and suddenly stopped.
