The LaGuardia plane crash happened when Air Canada Express Flight 8646, operated by Jazz Aviation, struck a Port Authority fire truck while landing, killing the pilot and copilot and injuring dozens, officials said.
The jet was carrying more than 70 passengers, witnesses said, and the nose of the aircraft was destroyed on impact, according to reporting by the Associated Press and CNN.
A passenger described turbulence on descent and said the pilot appeared to be braking to prevent a collision, then there was a loud boom and people were jolted, one witness told CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island.
One flight attendant, identified by her daughter as Solange Tremblay, survived after being thrown from the plane and found outside still strapped to her jump seat, which her daughter called a "total miracle," according to TVA Nouvelles and aviation expert Jeff Guzzetti.
Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, said the jump seat has a four point restraint and is built robustly to help crew survive and assist after a crash.
Video and air traffic control audio published by CNN show a fire truck requesting permission to cross runway 4 at an intersecting taxiway, the tower granting the clearance, and then the controller urgently saying "Stop, stop, stop truck one," about 10 seconds before the Air Canada plane touched down and then collided with the vehicle.
Investigation Response And Operational Impact
The National Transportation Safety Board deployed investigators and plans a news conference at 6 p.m. ET, the agency said, with the Federal Aviation Administration and Canada’s Transportation Safety Board expected to join the probe.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said more than 43 people were hospitalized and many have been released, and that the two firefighters involved were expected to recover after being taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital.
One runway reopened around 2 p.m. ET while wreckage remained on the second runway, and the FAA said Runway 4 will remain closed until 7 a.m. Friday, according to a public notice cited in reporting.
Former NTSB managing director Peter Goelz said it could take a week or more to document and remove wreckage, and airlines reported roughly 600 cancellations as LaGuardia resumed limited operations.
Officials have identified one pilot as Antoine Forest, a family member confirmed to the Toronto Star, and Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau posted a video offering condolences and saying authorities were still confirming casualty numbers.
Reactions among officials varied, with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford noting visibility was sufficient for a visual approach, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urging people to wear seat belts, and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association offering support to the aviation community.
Questions about runway coordination and tower staffing were raised in coverage, with one AP headline saying the air traffic control tower was well staffed and a former FAA controller, Dave Riley, saying he was curious about how many people were in the tower and the potential fatigue factor.
