Eyewitnesses have described the moment Air Canada flight AC8646 crashed into a fire truck on the runway of New York's LaGuardia airport, killing two pilots and injuring dozens of others. 'We were literally like 100 metres away,' recalls Leo Medina, a 23-year-old passenger on another flight witnessing the crash as he awaited takeoff, describing it as 'like the plane got cut in half.' After the incident, he spent over 12 hours waiting in the airport on the floor.
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, visiting the crash site, reflected on the critical need for seat belt usage, highlighting that they 'do save lives'. Two pilots, including 30-year-old Québec native Antoine Forest, tragically lost their lives in the collision, which occurred around 11:40 PM local time on Sunday, injuring 41 others, some seriously.
Passenger Rebecca Liquori reported hearing a loud 'boom' just after their rough landing, and described the scene as chaotic. As emergency crews responded, there was an urgent call from air traffic control moments before the crash, with officials stressing the grave scenario surrounding the fire truck's prior address of an issue on another plane.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described it as a 'tragic collision,' assuring that investigations led by the National Transportation Safety Board are ongoing. Both former Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump expressed their condolences, marking the crash as 'deeply saddening' and 'terrible', respectively.
The incident has caused widespread disruption at LaGuardia, one of the busiest airports in the US, impacting hundreds of flights and raising serious concerns amidst ongoing staffing shortages in airport security due to governmental issues. The NTSB has reassured the public that it will leave no stone unturned as they investigate this tragic event.
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, visiting the crash site, reflected on the critical need for seat belt usage, highlighting that they 'do save lives'. Two pilots, including 30-year-old Québec native Antoine Forest, tragically lost their lives in the collision, which occurred around 11:40 PM local time on Sunday, injuring 41 others, some seriously.
Passenger Rebecca Liquori reported hearing a loud 'boom' just after their rough landing, and described the scene as chaotic. As emergency crews responded, there was an urgent call from air traffic control moments before the crash, with officials stressing the grave scenario surrounding the fire truck's prior address of an issue on another plane.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described it as a 'tragic collision,' assuring that investigations led by the National Transportation Safety Board are ongoing. Both former Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump expressed their condolences, marking the crash as 'deeply saddening' and 'terrible', respectively.
The incident has caused widespread disruption at LaGuardia, one of the busiest airports in the US, impacting hundreds of flights and raising serious concerns amidst ongoing staffing shortages in airport security due to governmental issues. The NTSB has reassured the public that it will leave no stone unturned as they investigate this tragic event.
