Two people were killed and dozens injured when an Air Canada flight collided with a fire truck on the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, with an air traffic controller later admitting, "I messed up."
Incident Overview
- The collision involved Air Canada flight 8646 and a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport.
- It resulted in two fatalities and dozens of injuries.
- The incident occurred while the controller was managing multiple aircraft movements.
Air Traffic Control Communications
- Audio recordings from LiveATC.net reveal the controller cleared the fire truck to cross the runway to assist a different plane that reported a smell after aborting a takeoff due to a warning light.
- Moments before the crash, the controller frantically attempted to stop the truck: "Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop truck 1. Stop."
- After the collision, the controller told a Frontier Airlines pilot, who witnessed the event, "I messed up," and explained they were dealing with an earlier emergency. The pilot responded, "Nah, man, you did the best you could."
- The controller also directed other aircraft to abort landings and "go around" due to the runway closure.
Investigation
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the collision.
- Determining root causes in aviation accidents often takes a year or longer and may involve multiple contributing factors.
- The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the labor union representing controllers, did not provide comment when contacted by CNN.