Moments before an Air Canada passenger plane crashed into a firefighting truck on Sunday at LaGuardia airport, a heart-pounding audio captured one air traffic controller admitting after they “messed up.”
The truck was cleared to cross the airport’s Runway 4 before air traffic controllers urged a Frontier plane bound for Miami and the vehicle to stop.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop,” the controller frantically demanded. “Truck one, stop, stop, stop. Stop Truck 1. Stop.”
The controller ordered Delta flight 2603, en-route from Detroit, to go around before turning back to the Air Canada plane, a Jazz Aviation operated flight which touched down from Montreal, New York Post reported.
“Jazz 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now,” the air traffic controller said.
Air traffic controllers told the Frontier crew that the runway would be closed, asking if they would like to return to the ramp.
“We got stuff in progress for that man, that wasn’t good to watch,” Frontier pilots said.
“Yeah, I tried to reach out to ‘em.. And we were dealing with an emergency and I messed up,” the controller replied.
“No, you did the best you could,” Frontier crews said, trying to reassure the air traffic controller.
Sources told The Post that the jet’s pilot and co-pilot were killed and pictures showed the CRJ-900 plane tilting in the air.
The plane, which had 72 passengers and four crew members on board, was travelling about 24 mph when it collided with the truck, which was responding to an emergency involving another plane.
Officials told ABC News 11 passengers on the Air Canada plane and 2 first responders were hospitalised.
Moments before the crash, United 2384 pilots aborted a takeoff due to an anti-ice warning light appearing on the dash, according to CBS News. Pilots reported an odour in the cabin which caused flight attendants to feel ill.
