At LaGuardia Airport landing turns into a fatal tragedy as an Air Canada Express crashed into a fire truck, killing both pilots and injuring dozens of people.
As reported by Reuters, The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane was carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew members from Montreal, Canada. The passenger jet was operated by its regional partner Jazz Aviation.
The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
Following the tragic collision, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the notice to halt all ground flights at the airport until 05:30 GMT.
The recent incident also highlights growing concerns across the US aviation system.
According to Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 32 of the 41 injured had been released, while 9 remained in hospital with “serious injuries.”
The injured ones include crew members, passengers, and the two officers aboard the fire truck. The investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fatal collision.
Aviation safety experts have urged the investigators, deployed by The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), to look into air traffic control staffing levels, the activities of the controller and truck crew that night, along with the position of the truck.
The Air Canada jet was obviously cleared to land and from the radio transmissions, it appears that the airport rescue and firefighting vehicle was cleared. There are a lot of questions now regarding the communications. Communication is going to be a major part of this investigation,” the US safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said.
According to the FAA, LaGuardia Airport is expected to remain closed until 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) on Monday.
The closure of the airport will further worsen chaotic circumstances already caused by the weeks-long partial government shutdown.
