A landing jet plane and a fire truck collided at New York’s LaGuardia Airport just before midnight Sunday night, resulting in the death of two pilots and leaving dozens of people injured.
The fire truck was responding to reports of an odor onboard another aircraft and had received permission to cross the tarmac. In audio from the air traffic control tower, a controller can be heard telling the fire truck to stop just before the collision, according to NBC News.
Shortly after the incident, the controller said, ”I messed up," according to The Associated Press.
The crash happened at around 11:40 p.m. Sunday, and involved Air Canada Express Flight 8646, which was arriving from Montreal.
The CRJ-900 jet was operated by Jazz Aviation LP, which released a statement following the incident, noting that preliminary passenger lists said the flight was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
While investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the crash, Mary Schiavo, a former Department of Transportation Inspector General said they will focus their efforts on examining the coordination between air traffic and ground traffic at the time of the incident, according to The Associated Press.
In total, 41 passengers and crew members were taken to the hospital, Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the airport operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said at a news conference early Monday, according to The New York Times. She said of those 41, 32 of them have been released from the hospital.
Both the pilot and co-pilot who lost their lives were based out of Canada, Garcia shared, according to The Associated Press.
President Donald Trump called the collision a “terrible” situation. “They made a mistake,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
“Heartbreaking news out of LaGuardia this morning,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a post on X Monday.
Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, shared, “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those impacted,” in a post on X.
More than 600 flights had been canceled at LaGuardia by midday Monday, according to FlightAware.com.
The Associated Press noted that air traffic controllers are not impacted by the partial government shutdown currently affecting TSA workers, though they have been affected by shutdowns in the past.
The collision forced the airport to shut down until at least 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, NBC News reports. The New York Times reported planes were beginning to take off as of 2:08 p.m. Monday.
According to The New York Times, it was the first fatal accident at LaGuardia since 1992.
Air Canada’s CEO, Michael Rousseau noted in a video Monday, the airline was working with authorities to confirm the number of injuries and if any other fatalities had been reported.
“We know this is a difficult day for everyone,” Rousseau said. “We know there are many questions. But at this early stage, we do not have all the answers, as the circumstances are still being assessed.”
New Jersey experiences delays due to smoke in control tower
While LaGuardia was recovering from the collision Monday morning, the neighboring airport in New Jersey, Newark Liberty International Airport, temporarily paused arrivals and departures after an air traffic control tower was evacuated due to smoke reports, the Federal Aviation Administration said, according to The Associated Press.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the issue, but the FAA said no fire had occurred. The delay lasted less than an hour and there were no injuries reported.
As of Monday afternoon, there is no evidence the two incidents are related, according to The Associated Press.