An Air Canada plane in flight. An Air Canada plane was involved in a collision on March 22 at LaGuardia Airport. Photo courtesy of Steven He, PDM 1.0, via Wikipedia Commons.
The collision left two dead and caused delays at one of New York’s busiest airports.
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By Madison Overmier
TAMPA, Fla. — On March 22, a plane collided with a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York, leaving pilots Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther dead.
The Air Canada plane had just arrived from Montreal before the incident. The plane was a CRJ900 model carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) released a statement on March 23.
President of the ALPA, John Ambrosi, said, “The loss of our two fellow crewmembers on board Flight 8646 is a profound tragedy. These pilots dedicated their careers to the safe transport of passengers, and we are all thinking of their families, loved ones, and colleagues at Jazz Aviation during this devastating time.”
The Air Canada plane was on Runway 4 when it struck the fire truck around 11:45 p.m. Air traffic control had cleared both of them to be on the runway when the incident occurred. The truck was en route to another plane after an issue was reported, and seconds before the collision, air traffic control told the truck to stop.
The plane was traveling at high speeds, about 130 mph, when it hit the truck. There were 41 passengers and crew, along with two people from the firetruck, who were taken to the hospital. In the air traffic control audio, the controller said, “I messed up.”
On March 24, Air Canada released a statement about the two pilots who were killed.
President and CEO Michael Rousseau said, “On behalf of everyone at Air Canada, I want to express my deep sympathies to everybody affected, and my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two Jazz pilots who tragically lost their lives.”
Following the collision, the airport closed until 2 p.m. the following day, March 23. After they opened, they were only allowing single-runway operations.
On March 25, they removed the truck and the plane. The runway reopened around 10 a.m. on March 26 after inspection and confirmation that it met FAA regulations.
This collision will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The NTSB released a statement and has held multiple media briefings, stating that a preliminary report will be released within 30 days.
“A probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will come in the final report, which is expected in 12 to 24 months,” the NTSB said in a briefing.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy held a media briefing on March 24, which was their first full day on the scene of the collision.
She confirmed that there were two people in the air traffic control tower cab operating multiple duties, such as a controller and a local controller. She said this is normal for LaGuardia Airport and airports nationwide during the midnight shift.
“I would caution pointing fingers at controllers and saying distraction was involved,” said Homendy. “This is a heavy workload environment.”
As the FAA and NTSB investigation continues, the results will help determine if there needs to be more safety measures at busier airports to avoid future incidents. It has also raised concerns about whether two air traffic controllers during the midnight shift are enough.