Dramatic audio has emerged of panicked air traffic controllers responding to a deadly crash at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night.
The pilot and co-pilot of a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada were killed after the CRJ-900 aircraft collided with a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident on the runway.
At least 41 passengers and crew members were taken to the hospital, Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told a Monday-morning press conference, with 32 having since been released. Two Port Authority police officers inside the vehicle, reported by The New York Post to have suffered broken bones, are among those believed to have suffered serious injuries in the crash.
Air traffic control audio reveals the frantic moments leading up to the collision at LaGuardia, with one controller admitting he may have “messed up” while trying to handle the high-pressure situation.
A male air traffic controller can be heard granting permission for an operations truck to cross the runway before urgently telling the vehicle to stop multiple times, seconds before announcing that a collision had occurred.
“Truck One, stop, stop, stop!” the controller shouts moments before the crash, before addressing Air Canada Express Flight 8646.
“JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now.”
The controller also urgently instructed another incoming flight to divert from the runway.
Audio from the exchange appears to capture a pilot from another aircraft that was on the runway at the time reacting to the crash.
“That wasn’t good to watch,” the pilot says.
“I tried to reach out to stop them. We were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up,” the air traffic controller adds.
The Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle had been responding to reports of an unknown smell coming from the cockpit of another plane when the crash occurred, CNN reported.
Officials said the collision happened at approximately 11:47 p.m. The preliminary passenger list indicates Air Canada Flight AC8646 was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
LaGuardia Airport is currently closed, with no flights arriving or departing until at least 2 p.m. ET Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The New York Police Department also said that all streets and highway exits leading into LaGuardia Airport will remain closed until further notice due to the emergency.
“Expect delays and avoid the area if possible,” the NYPD said in a post on X.
The Daily Beast has contacted Air Canada and the FAA for comment.
