Deadly Crash Caught on Camera
Air Canada Express Flight 8646 from Montreal was taxiing on the runway when disaster struck late Sunday night. Surveillance video reveals the aircraft moving down the runway just as a fire truck, with flashing emergency lights, crosses its path.
The plane’s nose violently collides with the truck, flipping the emergency vehicle onto its side. Dozens of passengers were injured, along with the two fire truck crew members.
Pilots Dead, Dozens Hospitalised
Both pilots, men early in their careers, tragically died in the crash. One has been identified as Antoine Forest from Québec, Canada. Forty-one people, including passengers and crew, were rushed to the hospital; 32 have since been released.
LaGuardia Airport shut down immediately but reopened Monday afternoon amid ongoing investigations.
Flight Attendant Miraculously Survives
Flight attendant Solange Tremblay was hurled from the plane, still strapped to her seat. Her daughter described her survival as “a total miracle” despite multiple leg fractures and upcoming surgery.
Survivors Tell of Horror and Chaos
Passenger Joe Capio, 29, described the crash’s terrifying moments: “We landed smoothly, then suddenly everyone jerked forward with a loud crash. The plane skidded until it stopped. The front was twisted sideways.”
Joe’s fiancée and other survivors recounted head injuries, bleeding, and panic as they escaped onto the wing and down to safety.
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Rebecca Liquori praised the pilots as heroes who “did everything they could to save us, even if they couldn’t save themselves.”
Air Traffic Control Error Suspected
Former Department of Transportation inspector Mary Schiavo called the crash a “clear error.” She explained that air traffic control tower and ground control failed to coordinate, allowing the fire truck to cross after landing clearance was given.
“There’s just no way around it — someone made a critical mistake by letting the fire truck on the runway when the plane was landing,” Schiavo said.
Audio Captures Tense Moments Before Crash
Audio from the tower reveals frantic warnings from controllers yelling “stop” as the fire truck crosses the runway, but the collision was unavoidable. One voice on the radio grimly commented, “That wasn’t good to watch.”
Officials React and Investigate
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy confirmed the airport is operating at reduced capacity with debris still on the runway. He warned that the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation could take months or up to a year.
Duffy urged travellers to always wear seatbelts, saying:
“If you see the videos of the air crash, wear your seatbelt. They save lives.”
The fire truck had been responding to a separate emergency involving odours on a United Airlines flight before tragedy struck.
