Late at night on Sunday, March 22, a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle received permission to cross a runway at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. An inbound Air Canada flight from Montreal had been cleared to land on the very same runway. With the plane barreling towards the truck at over 100 mph, there was little either vehicle could do. The resulting collision sent the truck into a tumble and sheared the nose of the plane off, killing the two pilots and injuring dozens of passengers.
The fire truck had been responding to a separate incident when the crash occurred. A United Airlines passenger jet reported a repulsive odor onboard and postponed their departure, calling the fire truck to ensure the jet was safe to fly. As such, the truck requested permission from Air Traffic Control to cross Runway 4 to arrive at the United plane. Simultaneously, Air Canada Flight 8646, carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, was descending towards Runway 4 to land.
The truck was given permission to cross.
Passenger Rebecca Liquori told the New York Times that the plane made a “huge noise” as pilots attempted to brake and avoid the collision. Flight attendant Solange Tremblay was ejected from the plane while still strapped to her seat. First responders found her with a broken leg but very much alive.
The plane’s pilot and copilot, who were identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther, were killed upon impact, and 41 people were taken to the hospital, including the two officers in the truck, Sgt. Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez. As of Monday, nine remained in the hospital, some with critical injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, although it would seem as though the air traffic controllers hold some responsibility. In recordings of the accident, a controller can be heard saying “stop, Truck 1, stop!” after giving the truck permission to cross. Afterwards, he was heard saying “I messed up” to another pilot. It is possible that the controllers were simply distracted by the incident with the United Airlines flight. The number of staff members in the control tower is also under investigation.
LaGuardia airport ordered a complete ground stop until Monday and over 400 flights were cancelled. Although the airport reopened to travelers early Monday afternoon, Runway 4 remained closed as investigations into the crash persisted. As a major travel hub for people across the Northeast, LaGuardia sees nearly 900 arrivals and departures every day. Delays, cancellations and flight restrictions within 1,500 miles leave grim prospects for travelers in the New York area.
With the Department of Homeland Security shut down as Democratic senators demand restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers before agreeing to fund the agency, TSA members working without pay have begun to look for work elsewhere, leaving airports hugely understaffed. Without adequate TSA workers, security lines at airports have reached record-breaking lengths. Adding cancellations and delays will cause massive disruptions to the airport, which is central to air travel.
Despite the horrific crash appearing extremely deadly, passengers think it was no miracle that the two pilots, both young and early in their careers, were the only victims. A passenger, who asked to be called Joe, told CNN, “I truly believe that whatever they did at the end… they saved everybody on board.” He also described how he will forever be indebted to the pilots for their sacrifice. “They’re always going to be heroes to me,” Joe said.
