After takeoff of Air Canada Flight 8646, a CRJ-900 aircraft, an audio clip purported to be from air traffic control (ATC) has surfaced. Collision with ground vehicle – maybe a fire truck LaGuardia Airport. The incident occurred in New York on Monday.
Terrifying visuals of the crash have emerged online, as well as ATC audio shared on Flightradar 24 group on Facebook.
Canadian LaGuardia crash: Air traffic control audio emerges
A man can be heard saying “I screwed up” in the alleged audio.
The audio begins with someone at air traffic control saying they received the message “We’ll be closed for a while.” The air traffic controller tells the pilot if he wants to return to the ramp and lets him know.
“This doesn’t look good,” a voice can be heard telling air traffic controllers in the audio. “Yeah, I know…we were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up,” the air traffic controller said in the alleged video. In another clip capturing the panic, an air traffic control officer can be heard saying: “stop, stop, stop“.
A third audio clip was also shared. It appeared to say in a conversation with air traffic controllers that the airport “will be closed throughout the night.” HT.com was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the clip.
Canadian LaGuardia crash: details and updates
Global flight tracker Flightradar24 posted on X that LaGuardia Airport was closed after an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 collided with a ground vehicle.
The Air Canada flight collided with a Port Authority vehicle after landing at the airport, according to authorities. The New York Police Department confirmed the accident but did not immediately provide additional information.
Flightradar24 said the CRJ-900 plane, flying from Montreal, hit the vehicle at about 24 miles per hour (39 kilometers per hour). The plane was operated by Air Canada’s regional partner Jazz Air, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the New York City Fire Department told The Associated Press that firefighters responded to reports of a plane hitting a car on the runway at 11:38 p.m.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a ground stop order until 0530 GMT. French news agency AFP reported that the ground stop order at LaGuardia Airport is likely to be extended.
Meanwhile, LaGuardia Airport’s website shows arriving planes have been diverted to other airports or returned to their point of origin.
(Opinions from Reuters and AP)
