Heart-stopping audio captures the chaotic moments leading up to a deadly collision between an Air Canada passenger plane and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday. An air traffic controller has called the incident a “failure.”
After the crash, which resulted in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot, air traffic controllers instructed the incoming aircraft to turn back. The audio from LiveATC indicates the urgency of the situation.
The truck had been cleared to cross Runway 4 when controllers realized the Miami-bound Frontier plane needed to halt.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop,” the controller’s voice echoed, filled with urgency. “Truck 1, stop, stop, stop. Stop truck 1. Stop.”
Air traffic controllers directed a Delta flight from Detroit to detour before returning to an Air Canada flight, operated by Jazz Aviation, which had just landed from Montreal.
“Jazz Flight 646, we see you’ve collided with a vehicle. Just hold your position. We understand you can’t move,” the air traffic controller informed them.
Controllers then told the Frontier crew that the runway was closed and asked if they preferred to return to the ramp.
“It wasn’t good to see that guy—work is going on,” remarked the Frontier pilots.
“I tried contacting them about the emergency but was unsuccessful,” the controller admitted.
“No, you did your best,” the Frontier Airlines crew reassured.
According to officials, both the pilot and co-pilot were killed, and images show the CRJ-900 plane skewed in midair.
The aircraft, which had 72 passengers and four crew members, was traveling around 34 miles per hour at the time of the collision with the emergency-response truck.
An official reported to ABC News that eleven passengers and two paramedics on the Air Canada flight were hospitalized.
Just before the crash, the pilot of United Airlines Flight 2384 aborted the takeoff due to an ice warning light. Pilots noted a bad smell in the cabin, causing discomfort among flight attendants.
LaGuardia Airport is set to remain closed until 2 p.m., with National Transportation Safety Board officials expected to arrive on-site Monday.
