In brief
In a devastating incident at LaGuardia Airport, an Air Canada flight collided with a fire truck on the runway, resulting in the deaths of two pilots and injuries to approximately 40 others. As the investigation continues, most of the injured passengers have been released from the hospital. The airport crews commenced the removal of the wreckage from the runway, allowing normal operations to gradually resume.
NEW YORK (AP) — All but four of the passengers injured in Sunday’s collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport have been released from the hospital, as crews began moving the damaged aircraft off the runway.
The crash, which remains under investigation, claimed the lives of two pilots, Mackenzie Gunther and Antoine Forest. Around 40 individuals received treatment for various injuries, some of which were serious, but most have since returned to their homes. Details concerning the four patients still hospitalized are not available at this time.
The Air Canada flight, coming from Montreal, had 76 individuals on board when it struck the fire truck that was cleared to cross the runway moments prior by an air traffic controller.
Operations resumed slowly at one of the nation’s busiest airports after authorities began removing wreckage blocking one of the two runways. By Wednesday afternoon, airport workers were seen towing large portions of the aircraft away, along with righting the badly damaged fire truck.
The aircraft's tail section was transported on a dolly while its middle was supported by its own landing gear, which appeared to be in satisfactory condition. Air Canada announced plans to take the jet to a hangar and initiate the process to reunite passengers with their belongings.
Several passengers managed to escape the wreckage, including a flight attendant who survived after being thrown onto the runway while strapped in her seat. Testimonies from the passengers praise the quick actions of the pilots, who executed hard braking just moments before landing, helping avoid further fatalities.
In a tragic twist, the two firefighters in the truck survived, while the investigation into the incident continues.
