Audio has been released of the moment an air traffic controller pleaded for a fire truck to stop before an Air Canada jet crashed into it while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing the pilot and co-pilot.
The flight from Montreal was landing at around 11.40pm on Sunday when the aircraft struck a fire truck on the runway.
Air traffic control audio shared by NBC New York revealed the moments leading up to the collision, which began with another flight reporting an emergency on the other side of the airport.
The fire truck was cleared to cross the airport’s Runway 4 before air traffic controllers frantically urged a Frontier plane bound for Miami – and the vehicle – to stop.
‘Truck One, stop, stop, stop!’ an air traffic controller is heard saying, before addressing the plane seconds later: ‘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.’
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.
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.
‘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 4.
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 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.
