A major plane accident occurred late Sunday night at New York’s La Guardia Airport. An Air Canada plane collides with a fire truck during landing. The pilot and co-pilot of the plane died in this horrific collision. Many other people have been injured in this accident.
This accident happened at around 11:46 pm on Sunday night local time. The Air Canada plane carrying more than 70 passengers was landing at La Guardia Airport from Montreal. Meanwhile, a fire truck was crossing the taxiway. This fire truck was sent to investigate on the report of smell coming from another aircraft.
The air traffic controller had instructed the fire truck to stop
The air traffic controller had instructed the fire truck to stop, but this instruction was apparently not conveyed or followed. Soon after, there was a fierce collision between the plane and the fire truck. After the incident, the air traffic controller was heard on airport communications saying that we were dealing with an emergency first. I made a mistake. This incident points to a serious lapse in coordination with air traffic control.
Many injured are in critical condition
About 40 passengers and crew members on board the aircraft suffered injuries, some of which were serious. Two people traveling in the fire truck were also injured. Most of the injured were discharged from the hospital by Monday morning. Due to the collision, the front part of the aircraft was badly damaged, due to which wires and debris were seen hanging. Photographs from the scene showed the fire truck overturned on one side, with its rear part being the most damaged.
The crash caused LaGuardia Airport to be closed until at least Monday afternoon. This became a major problem amid the already ongoing chaos at airports due to the government shutdown. More than 600 flights were canceled at LaGuardia by noon.
Passengers narrated their ordeal
Passenger Rebecca Liquori said she felt tremors in the plane while landing and then a loud explosion. “Everyone jumped out of their seats. People hit heads, started bleeding,” he said. Liquori helped open the emergency exit and watched as passengers helped each other out on the wing. He said, “I am alive, that’s enough. I never thought that an hour-long flight, which I have done countless times, would end like this.”
Accident investigation continues
The accident is being investigated under the leadership of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Both the US and Canada have sent investigation teams. Katherine Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said the pilot and co-pilot who died were Canadian. US President Donald Trump called it a “terrible” situation.
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