Shocking video captures the moment an Air Canada Express aircraft speeds down the runway at LaGuardia Airport in Queens on Sunday night before crashing into a fire truck, killing both pilots on board. Runway surveillance footage captured the Air Canada Bombardier CRJ-900 touching down at around 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, just as a fire truck was crossing directly in front of it on the tarmac.
The jet, moving at 150 mph in heavy rain, slammed into the truck, with video showing a massive spray of water as the impact hurled the vehicle across the runway. Both the pilot and co-pilot on board the aircraft were killed in the crash.
Moment of Horror
At least 41 people were wounded, including two inside the fire truck, and were taken to the hospital. Authorities have not yet released any names. The footage surfaced alongside air traffic control audio, which revealed frantic warnings as officials repeatedly shouted "stop, stop, stop" to the fire truck in the moments leading up to the collision.
The truck had reportedly been cleared to cross the runway to respond to an unrelated issue involving another aircraft, but controllers appeared to realize the danger only seconds before the crash occurred.
"Truck One, stop, stop, stop!" an air traffic controller could be 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 control audio later revealed the dispatcher informing the crew of a nearby Frontier flight that the runway would be shut down, asking if they wanted to head back to the ramp.
"We got stuff in progress for that man, that wasn't good to watch," one of the Frontier pilots responded.
The controller, sounding shaken, replied, "Yeah, I tried to reach out to them. We were dealing with an emergency, and I messed up," prompting the pilot to offer reassurance: "No, you did the best you could."
At the time of the crash, there were 72 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft. Experts noted that the situation could have been far worse if the fire truck had struck the plane's fuel storage area, which might have led to a much higher number of casualties.
Bigger Tragedy Avoided
After the incident, the plane was seen sitting on the tarmac with its nose heavily damaged and the front section tilted upward. The flight was operated by Jazz Aviation, a regional carrier based in Nova Scotia, and was flying on behalf of Air Canada.
Photos from the scene showed significant damage, with Port Authority Police working to remove the front section of the plane. The agency's vehicle, involved in the collision, was also seen overturned, while emergency crews rushed onto the runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board has begun investigating the incident.
Earlier in the evening, LaGuardia had already warned of possible flight disruptions due to bad weather, as New York experienced rain on Sunday night. The incident comes at a time when airports are already under pressure amid an ongoing funding standoff involving the Department of Homeland Security.
LaGuardia is one of several airports currently dealing with disruptions, as workers have been forced to continue their duties without pay and passengers are facing unusually long security lines.
