Here's the latest
• LaGuardia collision: New York’s LaGuardia Airport was closed for hours after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck while landing Sunday night. The pilot and copilot were killed and both fire officers were injured, officials said. The National Transportation Safety Board gave an update this evening and said it hopes to have more details tomorrow.
• Major airport reopens: The New York’ region’s third-biggest airport resumed flights around 2 p.m. ET. The closure added to nationwide travel turmoil tied to the partial government shutdown. Follow CNN’s live coverage of the nation’s travel woes here.
• Dozens hurt: The jet hit the Port Authority fire truck on a runway at 104 miles per hour, preliminary analysis indicates. Air traffic control had cleared both to be on the runway. More than 43 people were hospitalized and “many” have since been released, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
Pilot uses flight simulator to show conditions at LaGuardia during collision
Pilot and flight instructor Aaron Murphy gets inside a simulator to show CNN's Erin Burnett what Air Canada pilots saw in their final moments leading up to the crash at LaGuardia airport.
Investigators converge on LaGuardia after fatal plane collision. Catch up here
Investigators spent the day on scene at LaGuardia Airport in New York where an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck while the plane was landing late Sunday night. The aircraft’s two pilots were killed, and dozens of others were injured.
The crash thrust the third-busiest airport in the New York region into deeper travel turmoil amid hourslong security checkpoint lines tied to the partial government shutdown impacting airports across the nation.
Here’s the latest on Sunday’s collision:
• Pilot identified, others still hospitalized: One of the pilots killed on Air Canada’s Flight 8646 was identified as Antoine Forest, a young pilot from Coteau-du-Lac. More than 43 passengers and crew were taken to the hospital after the collision, and “many” have been released, officials said. One survivor, a flight attendant, was found alive outside the plane still strapped to her seat. The two firefighters inside the truck that was struck are both expected to recover from their injuries.
• Investigation underway: The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash, with an array of team members arriving throughout the day. Crews were at the scene Monday working on the plane and fire truck, which remains on its side amid other debris. The Federal Aviation Administration and Canada’s Transportation Safety Board are also joining the investigation.
• Questions still swirling: Many questions about the crash remain after the NTSB provided little new information to reporters at a Monday evening news conference, saying it hopes to have more details soon as it sifts through a “tremendous amount of debris.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy held a press conference earlier alongside the FAA and New York officials, deferring many questions about the collision to the NTSB.
• LaGuardia runway closed until Friday: Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport will remain closed until 7 a.m. Friday, according to a public notice from the FAA, adding to other travel woes at the airport caused by the partial government shutdown.
Passenger says she is “forever indebted” to the pilots for saving their lives
A passenger on Sunday night’s fatal plane crash says she is “forever indebted” to the pilots’ quick instincts in trying their best to stop the plane, saying without that effort there could’ve been more deaths.
“I felt like the pilots saved our lives,” Rebecca Liquori told CNN’s Erin Burnett. “They’re the reasons I was able to make it home safe to see my boys, and my heart goes out to their families.”
Liquori, who has two young sons, said seeing them after the crash was like she “won the lotto.”
When the plane made impact, Liquori said she closed her eyes, imagining a world where life with her sons was over.
“In those few seconds I thought, oh my god, I’m never going to see them. I’m never going to get to tickle them. I’m never going to hear their laughs again,” she said.
“I was just very thankful when I opened my eyes,” she added.
She spent most of today avoiding footage of the crash, but seeing it was surreal because it was “just as scary as experiencing it.”
Another passenger, Joe, was seated in an exit row and opened the emergency door for his fellow passengers following the collision.
“I pulled one of the levers down, opened the door, we threw the lever to the side onto the wing and I stepped out on the plane, onto the wing, and that’s when the FDNY and first responders all started to swarm around the airplane,” he told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on The Source.
“Those two pilots, I truly believe that whatever they did at the end, whether it was pulling a break or trying to stop or divert at the last moment, they saved everybody on board,” Joe said. “I will be forever grateful to them, and they’re always going to be heroes to me.”
These are the NTSB investigative teams working on the ground
The National Transportation Safety Board has various teams on the ground investigating the deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport, Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said.
- The operations group will look at the operator as well as procedures and training for the aircraft.
- The systems investigative group will examine the components of the airplane’s hydraulic, electrical, navigational, pneumatic and associated systems, including instruments and the flight control system.
- The structures group will document the air frame wreckage and the accident scene, including calculating the impact angles.
- Air traffic control investigative group
- Cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder group
- The airport operations and survival factors combined group will look at the airport rescue and firefighting operations at the airport as well as injuries to the occupants.
CNN’s Pete Muntean said today that investigators will be examining communications between the truck, airplane, and traffic control tower.
Two planes collided at LaGuardia in October
The fatal wreck between a plane and a fire truck at LaGuardia last night marks just the latest collision at the New York City airport: in October, two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided on the taxiway.
One person was taken to the hospital after that incident late last year, airport officials said.
Both aircraft involved in the “low-speed collision” were CRJ-900 regional jets operated by regional carrier Endeavor Air, according to a statement from Delta at the time.
In the crash yesterday, the plane was landing and slammed into the truck at more than 100 miles per hour, preliminary analysis indicates. The last fatal crash at LaGuardia happened 34 years ago, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s accident report.
LaGuardia is a major airport that carries tens of millions of passengers each year, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
NTSB had to "beg" to get specialist through backed-up TSA lines, Homendy says
The National Transportation Safety Board had to “beg” to get an air traffic control specialist through backed-up TSA security lines, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a news conference this evening.
The specialist, who is needed on site in New York for the NTSB investigation, was waiting in the security line for three hours at an airport in Houston before the NTSB stepped in, Homendy said.
“We called – in Houston – to beg to see if we can get her through so we can get her here,” she said.
Investigators descend on LaGuardia airport for probe of collision, NTSB chair says
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has mobilized dozens of team members as it launches its investigation into the fatal collision of an Air Canada aircraft with a fire truck on the runway as the plane landed Sunday night.
The NTSB expects to have 25 specialists on site in New York as part of the probe, in addition to five members of its Transportation Disaster Assistance Team who will work with the American Red Cross to provide resources and information to loved ones of those involved in the crash, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference this evening. Many other NTSB employees are supporting the investigation from the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC, she said.
Team members began arriving at the crash site at 3:10 a.m., while some are still en route, Homendy said.
“Which means that we have not had a full day of investigation here today, and I think that’s important, because there are a lot of questions,” she said. The entire team is expected to have arrived by around 1 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Air Canada flight attendant found alive outside the plane identified by daughter
The Air Canada flight attendant found alive outside the plane—still strapped to her seat after the aircraft collided with a fire truck on the LaGuardia Airport runway Sunday—has been identified by her daughter.
Sarah Lépine told CNN affiliate TVA Nouvelles that her mother, Solange Tremblay, suffered multiple fractures. Lépine said Tremblay was taken to the hospital and will undergo surgery for a broken leg.
Lépine told the outlet that her mother was ejected more than 300 feet from the plane, having been strapped in and seated directly behind the pilots when the aircraft landed.
“It’s a complete miracle,” Lépine told the news outlet. “She had a guardian angel watching over her. It could have been much worse.”
Unclear whether truck was visible on airport’s surface detection equipment
It is unclear whether the fire truck was visible on the airport’s surface detection equipment, known as ASDE-X – a ground radar that tracks aircraft and vehicles at airports – when it crashed with the plane, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said during a news conference Monday.
The Federal Aviation Administration is providing the NTSB with an ASDE-X replay of the incident, she said.
ASDE-X is just one type of safety system designed to prevent runway incursions. A total of 35 airports across the country, including LaGuardia Airport, have ASDE-X.
The NTSB is also reviewing surveillance video of the crash.
NTSB hopes to have more information about plane recorders tomorrow, chair says
National Transportation Safety Board investigators hope to soon have more information about if recorders in the plane that was involved in a fatal crash at LaGuardia late yesterday will have usable data, the chair of the agency, Jennifer Homendy, said.
Earlier today, Port Authority, which runs the airport, and other emergency responders cut a hole in the roof of the plane to retrieve the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, she said.
So far, the NTSB was able to verify that the cockpit voice recorder was not damaged. Investigators are still working on the flight data recorder, Homendy added.
NTSB personnel also walked around the wreckage and inspected the scene, including making sure that it is safe for investigators, she said.
There is a “tremendous amount of debris” on the runway and “hazardous material” on the fire truck that was hit, Homendy said.
The last fatal incident at LaGuardia happened exactly 34 years ago
It has been more than 30 years since the last fatal crash at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to officials, with the last deadly incident happening on the same day in 1992.
“The Port Authority takes great pride in being able to work with all of our partners to deliver safety for the flying public,” Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said today. “It has been over 34 years since we had had an incident with a death at the airport.”
An Air Canada plane collided with a fire rescue vehicle on the runway yesterday, killing both the pilot and copilot. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey runs the airport.
The last fatal crash happened on March 22, 1992, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s accident report. The plane crashed while attempting to take off, killing 27 people, including the captain and one crew member, the report said. About two dozen others were injured, according to the NTSB.
“Ice contamination on the wings resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control after liftoff,” the NTSB found.
Because of the weather, the flight was being delayed on the tarmac “for a prolonged period,” the report said. The crew was likely worried about the risk of ice reaccumulating on the wings while they were waiting, the NTSB said.
However, the captain only looked at the wings through the cockpit window before finally taking off. The plane went off the runway and partially into the Flushing Bay, the report said.
Antoine Forest identified as one of the pilots killed in Air Canada crash
One of the pilots killed in the Air Canada plane crash at New York’s LaGuardia Airport has been identified as Antoine Forest.
A family member, Jeannette Gagnier, confirmed to the Toronto Star on Monday that the Coteau-du-Lac native was one of the pilots killed in the crash late Sunday.
Forest’s great-aunt told the Star, “He was always taking courses and flying. He never stopped.”
NTSB to hold news conference Monday evening on crash
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a news conference at 6 p.m. ET on Monday on Air Canada Express Flight 8646 and its collision with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport.
The conference will be held at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B atrium, and a livestream will be available on the agency’s YouTube page.
Details on air traffic controllers at LaGuardia could be factor, former controller says
The number of air traffic controllers — and how much they had worked — could be a factor in Sunday night’s crash at LaGuardia Airport, former Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller Dave Riley said on CNN’s News Central.
“I’ll be curious to know how many people were actually in the tower cab,” he said. “That controller seemed to be doing a lot of coordination that requires his attention away from scanning runways and dealing with the movement of air traffic and vehicles around.”
The number of hours the air traffic controller worked and what their “fatigue factor” is present other factors to consider in this incident, he said.
Just days before LGA collision, Newark Airport experienced a close call
Just days before the LaGuardia Airport collision Sunday night, a close call occurred at Newark Liberty International Airport between two aircraft attempting to land on intersecting runways.
On March 17, Alaska Airlines Flight 294 was told by air traffic control to perform a go-around at Newark International Airport because FedEx Flight 721 was cleared for the final approach to an intersecting runway. The incident happened around 8:15 p.m. local time.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the close call.
Long security lines continue at LaGuardia Airport following Sunday night’s fatal collision
Long security lines started forming as soon as LaGuardia Airport reopened to travelers following Sunday night’s fatal collision between a plane and a fire truck.
A CNN team followed one line from the screening area toward the airport’s atrium as it doubled back on itself and wound through the concourse.
Airport employees directed passengers into their proper lines as several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stood grouped together, not interacting with travelers.
Air traffic control systems can’t fully modernize until Congress funds effort, transportation secretary says
Air traffic control systems can’t fully modernize until Congress funds that effort, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference Monday.
“It’s not a bite, it’s not a partisan issue, both Democrats and Republicans agree, but they have to have the will to finish the funding,” Duffy said.
He added that he is not saying the crash at LaGuardia Airport could have been prevented this way, “but it’s important if we care about air travel safety.”
New York governor pledges full cooperation in LaGuardia crash investigation
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said investigators will have the “full cooperation” of the state as they piece together what happened in the fatal collision at LaGuardia Airport.
“Let’s acknowledge the tremendous stress, particularly in recent days, that our airline workers are under,” she said.
Separately, Hochul noted that federal workers at LaGuardia and across the country are working without pay since Department of Homeland Security funding lapsed in February. The Transportation Security Administration has faced growing callouts from officers, causing long lines for passengers.
Air traffic controllers, who are funded through the Department of Transportation, are not affected by the DHS funding lapse and continue to be paid.
Hochul said this is “an ecosystem which is not self-sustaining” and that there are “countless individuals who step up every day willing to do the hard work to make sure we’re safe.”
LaGuardia Airport runway to remain closed until Friday morning, FAA says
Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport will remain closed until 7 a.m. Friday after a deadly collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck, according to a public notice from the FAA.
One runway reopened Monday afternoon, but it will take investigators at least “another week or more” to sort through the wreckage on the second runway, according to Peter Goelz, a CNN aviation analyst and former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Pilots were “young men at the start of their careers,” FAA administrator says
The pilots who died in the crash at LaGuardia Airport were “young men at the start of their careers,” Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference Monday, calling the incident an “absolute tragedy.”
He said the FAA is committed to a “full, transparent investigation” and the agency will support the National Transportation Safety Board.
Bedford said there was 4-mile visibility the night of the crash, which is more than enough for a visual approach, indicating visibility likely was not a factor in the deadly collision.
