What we know about the LaGuardia plane and fire truck crash

What We Know About the LaGuardia Plane and Fire Truck Crash

The collision between a commercial aircraft and a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York occurred late Sunday night, resulting in the deaths of two pilots. Officials have since confirmed the identities of the victims as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. While authorities initially provided only general details about the incident, Canadian news outlets and an institution tied to one of the pilots have publicly identified them.

Investigations into the accident are ongoing, with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board working to determine the sequence of events. The focus is on understanding how the fire truck managed to enter the path of the landing jet just moments after touchdown.

Preliminary Findings from the Cockpit Recorder

According to NTSB senior aviation investigator Doug Brazy, the final three minutes of the plane’s cockpit voice recorder reveal critical moments. The fire truck was given clearance to cross the runway 20 seconds before the crash. At 2 minutes and 22 seconds, the flight crew reported to the control tower. A minute and 3 seconds earlier, an airport vehicle made a radio call, but it was interrupted by another transmission.

“There was some sort of interference with the transmission,” said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. “It’s unclear whether that played a role in the sequence of events.”

At 54 seconds, the tower informed the crew that the plane was on a stable approach. Then, at 40 seconds, the tower asked which vehicle required runway access. The fire truck responded, and the tower acknowledged the request. Twenty seconds later, the truck was cleared to proceed, and it read back the instruction 17 seconds before impact.

Brazy noted that the tower later instructed a Frontier Airlines flight to hold position and directed the fire truck to stop. Just before the crash, a sound matching the plane’s landing gear contacting the runway was heard. At 6 seconds prior to impact, there was a transfer of control between the pilots.

“The first officer was handling the plane before transferring control to the captain,” Homendy explained. “This shift in command was observed in the recordings.”

Homendy also highlighted the dual roles of the controllers at LaGuardia during the crash. The local controller managed active runways and nearby airspace, while the controller in charge oversaw all safety protocols. Both were on duty at the time, though there’s uncertainty about who handled the ground control duties, as conflicting reports suggest it could have been either.

Homendy noted that having two controllers during the midnight shift is standard practice across national airspace systems. However, she mentioned past concerns about fatigue affecting performance during this period. “I don’t know if fatigue was a factor here,” she said, “but it’s a shift we’ve studied in previous cases.”

Passenger Accounts and Injuries

Jack Cabot, a 22-year-old passenger on the Canada Air flight, recounted his experience. He was returning home from a spring break ski trip when the collision happened. From his seat in the 18th row, he described feeling the pilots’ efforts to slow the plane before impact.

Cabot sustained a cheek bruise and neck soreness after his head struck the seat in front of him. Despite the crash, he credited the pilots for minimizing the damage, which helped save the lives of 72 passengers and the two crew members who survived.

Over 40 individuals were taken to medical facilities, most with minor injuries. While the majority were released shortly after, some remain hospitalized with severe wounds.