NEW YORK — Two pilots of an Air Canada Express plane were killed late Sunday when their plane collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport.
The NTSB said it was launching a go team to investigate the mishap involving a Jazz Aviation CRJ900 operating as Air Canada Express Flight 8646 that arrived from Montreal. According to officials, the regional jet collided with a fire truck on Runway 4.
“The Air Canada jet was obviously cleared to land and from the radio transmissions, it appears that the airport rescue and firefighting vehicle was cleared. There are a lot of questions now regarding the communications,” U.S. safety expert Anthony Brickhouse told Reuters. “Communication is going to be a major part of this investigation.”
According to reports, the plane had 72 passengers and four crew members on board. Nine remain hospitalized with serious injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration said LaGuardia would be closed until at least 2 p.m. today.
Earlier on Sunday, Delta Air Lines Flight 1770 safely returned to LaGuardia Airport around 2:45 p.m. after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The Airbus A220 was headed to Nassau, Bahamas. The FAA said it is investigating.
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