A deadly collision at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday has raised serious questions about runway safety and communication failures, after an Air Canada Express jet struck a fire truck during landing, killing both pilots and injuring dozens.
The aircraft, an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was arriving from Montreal with 72 passengers and four crew members when it collided with an airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) truck.
The impact occurred at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 km/h), leaving the aircraft’s front heavily damaged and the fire truck mangled and overturned on the runway. A total of 41 people were injured, including passengers, crew members and two officers in the fire truck.
What led to the collision?
Early findings suggest the crash was likely caused by a breakdown in communication between air traffic control and ground crews. Investigators are focusing on the fact that both the aircraft and the fire truck appear to have been cleared to use the same runway at the same time.
“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,” said US safety expert Anthony Brickhouse to Reuters. “Communication is going to be a major part of this investigation.”
Air traffic control audio indicates the fire truck had been cleared to cross Runway 4 at taxiway Delta, even as the aircraft was on final approach. Moments before the collision, a controller can be heard urgently warning, “Stop, stop, stop, truck 1 stop, truck 1, stop.”
Why the fire truck was on the runway
The fire truck had been responding to a separate emergency involving a United Airlines flight, which had reported an unusual odor onboard. Air traffic controllers had already positioned emergency vehicles on the airfield as a precaution. This overlapping response appears to have contributed to the confusion, placing the truck directly in the path of the incoming aircraft.
Weather and timing may have added pressure
Authorities had already warned of rainy and cloudy weather conditions at the airport, which could have reduced visibility and increased the workload for controllers and ground crews during the late-night operations. The collision happened just before midnight, a time when staffing levels and fatigue can also become factors in aviation incidents.
The incident comes at a time when US aviation authorities are dealing with staffing shortages, particularly among air traffic controllers. Experts say such gaps can increase the risk of miscommunication during critical moments like landings and runway crossings.
The National Transportation Safety Board has deployed a team to investigate the crash, focusing on air traffic control instructions, crew actions and the exact sequence of events leading up to the collision.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily shut down LaGuardia Airport following the incident, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations and disruption.