NEW YORK — A regional jet collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport just before midnight March 22, killing two pilots and injuring dozens.
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Air Canada Jazz regional jet landed on Runway 4 and struck a moving Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle.
The impact killed the captain and first officer. Authorities said 39 people were hospitalized, including six with serious injuries.
Investigators said air traffic control had cleared the flight to land while multiple emergency vehicles responded to a separate incident. “Truck 1” requested and received permission to cross the runway; controllers then ordered it to stop seconds before the collision.
Data indicate the aircraft was traveling over 100 mph on the runway when the crash occurred, according to the NTSB.
The airport's ASDE-X surface radar did not generate an alert. Investigators said the emergency vehicles were not equipped with transponders.
Runway status lights activated before the crash and extinguished seconds before impact, consistent with system design, according to investigators.
Passengers evacuated through emergency exits. Port Authority ARFF units and medical crews treated the injured and transported patients.
Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. The NTSB said the investigation remains ongoing.