An audio clip from the cockpit has revealed the final moments before an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The crash killed both the pilot and co-pilot and forced the airport to be closed.Air traffic control recordings captured a series of urgent and confused instructions as ground vehicles and aircraft took to the runway shortly before the crash late Sunday night. In the audio, controllers can be heard repeatedly warning a vehicle to stop. “Wait. Wait. Wait,” the controller says several times moments before informing the other aircraft that a collision has occurred on the runway.According to officials, the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation hit a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle at 11.40 pm (local time) while landing on Runway 4.Seconds after the collision, the controller is heard saying to the aircraft, “I see you have collided with the vehicle… hold your position”.Emergency responders were immediately dispatched and the entire airport as well as the runway were closed to manage the situation. The audio ended with the message, “I repeat, Runway 422 is closed at this time. Tower Car 90, LaGuardia Airport is closed at this time.”Officials confirmed that the plane’s pilot and co-pilot died in the collision. Several others were injured, including personnel inside the fire truck, although the passengers on board the plane escaped major injuries. There were 72 passengers and four crew members on board the plane.The audio also reveals the rapid escalation of the situation, with repeated announcements that the runways and ultimately LaGuardia Airport were closed, as emergency vehicles arrived at the scene.Initial reports indicate that the fire truck was allowed to cross the runway, but the exact sequence of events leading to the collision is being investigated. The US Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop immediately after the crash, while the National Transportation Safety Board began an investigation into the incident.Scenes at the scene showed significant damage to the nose of the aircraft, while passengers were evacuated and transported by bus. Flights were diverted or delayed as authorities worked through the night to deal with the emergency.
