The harrowing seconds before an Air Canada Express plane collided with a vehicle at LaGuardia Airport have been revealed. Audio released from the air traffic control tower shows what happened just before the crash that killed two people and how controllers responded.
A controller tells “Truck One and company” to cross the fourth runway at the airport before “please stop there”, meaning the fourth runway at the airport. Then panic sets in and the controller starts yelling, “Stop, stop, stop, trucker, stop”. in the background, The alarm can be heard going off – First noise after the accident.
The controller then orders closure of the runway and airport. He said: “LaGuardia Airport is closed at this time, no planes are going in or out. There has been an incident on the ground. The airport is currently closed.”
A longer version released by LiveATC captured a controller saying the accident was “not a good watch”. Another says: “I know, I was here. I tried to make contact… we were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up.”
The other controller replied: “No, man, you did your best.”
Pilot and co-pilot died in the accidentAnd another 41 are hospitalized. Thirty-two have been released, while nine are still undergoing treatment, some for serious injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said there would be no flights in or out of the airport until 2 p.m. ET (6 p.m. GMT).
The flight departed Montreal-Trudeau International Airport shortly after 10.12 pm ET (2.12 pm GMT) and landed at LaGuardia about 90 minutes later at 11.40 pm ET (3.40 pm UK time).
The FAA identified the plane as a Bombardier CRJ-900 twin-engine jet and confirmed it was investigating the crash.
Jazz Aviation LP, which operates as Air Canada Express, said the plane was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, but added that these are preliminary numbers from its passenger list that are “subject to confirmation.”
