Chilling air traffic control audio has revealed the frantic final moments before a passenger jet slammed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, leaving two people dead and dozens injured.
The newly surfaced recordings capture controllers scrambling in real time as the disaster unfolded on the runway late Sunday night.
In the audio, air traffic controllers can be heard initially granting clearance for a fire truck to cross Runway 4, just as Air Canada Express Flight 646 was on approach to land.
Moments later, confusion appears to set in.
Controllers urgently attempt to reverse the instruction, repeatedly shouting “stop” over the radio as they realize the aircraft is seconds away from touchdown.
The audio also reveals that another aircraft, Delta Flight 2603, was ordered to abort its landing and perform a go-around as the situation rapidly deteriorated.
Despite the desperate warnings, it was too late.
The Bombardier CRJ-900, arriving from Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, collided with the fire truck on the runway, with the nose of the aircraft smashing into the vehicle in a devastating impact.
By early March 23, officials confirmed that at least two people had been killed in the collision, while approximately 70 others were injured among the roughly 105 passengers and crew involved.
Of those hurt, one person is reported to be in serious condition, two sustained moderate injuries, and the remaining victims suffered minor injuries.
The crash forced the immediate closure of LaGuardia Airport, with flights diverted to nearby John F Kennedy International Airport as emergency crews flooded the scene.
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have now launched a full probe into the incident.
Early indications suggest a possible miscommunication between ground control and the fire crew, though officials stress it is too soon to determine the exact cause.
