Air Canada passenger plane crashes unexpectedly, destroyed during landing! 2 pilots killed on the spot, 41 people injured and hospitalized!

(Source: OTTAWA Life in Ottawa)

On the evening of Sunday, March 22, a Canadian Airlines flight departing from Montreal collided violently with a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York, resulting in the immediate deaths of the captain and co-pilot. All 41 passengers on board were injured and rushed to hospitals.

Event details:

At approximately 11:30 p.m. local time on March 22, Jazz Aviation-operated Air Canada flight AC8646 (model: Bombardier CRJ-900), flying from Montreal Airport to New York, was in its final approach phase.

The CRJ-900 is designed for short- and medium-haul routes, capable of carrying 76 to 90 passengers. On that flight, there were 72 passengers and 4 crew members (including 2 pilots and 2 flight attendants).

At the time of the incident, the aircraft was in the final landing stage when a fire truck was crossing the tarmac, and the plane collided with the fire truck.

A “deadly coordination” in air traffic control!

At that moment, another United Airlines flight experienced a cabin odor during takeoff and had to abort its takeoff urgently.

The fire truck, “Truck 1,” was en route to the scene to provide support after receiving clearance.

The fire truck only crossed the tarmac after being authorized by air traffic control.

ATC recordings reveal: a miscommunication in coordination.

According to released ATC recordings, seconds before the incident, the tower controller clearly instructed the fire truck: “Truck 1 and accompanying vehicles, permission to cross at Delta onto Runway 4.”

Meanwhile, the Air Canada flight AC8646 was also cleared to land on that runway.

When the controller realized that the paths of the two were about to overlap, the voice became hurried and panicked, shouting loudly over the radio: “Stop, Truck 1! Stop! Stop! Stop!”

But it was too late!

The aircraft, moving at high speed on the runway, collided with the crossing fire truck. The impact tore through the nose of the plane, nearly destroying the cockpit, while the struck fire truck flipped onto its side and was severely damaged.

The pilots performed an emergency brake at the last moment!

Thanks to the pilots’ emergency braking, the plane’s impact speed on the runway was reduced to about 30 km/h, allowing most passengers to evacuate safely.

The fire truck carried approximately 3,000 gallons of foam and water for firefighting.

The struck fire truck (Truck 1) also contained about 3,000 gallons of foam and water, which helped prevent a large explosion. Otherwise, casualties could have been much higher.

【Two pilots killed instantly】

However, the accident resulted in the immediate deaths of two experienced Canadian pilots flying for Air Canada.

Both pilots were Canadian nationals. The captain had over 8,000 flight hours and was described by colleagues as a “highly professional instructor-level pilot.”

Kathryn Garcia, Executive Director of the Port Authority, confirmed that 41 people were taken to two hospitals in Queens for treatment, with 9 in critical condition.

Two staff members inside the fire truck were also injured but are not in life-threatening danger.

Airport closure and flight disruptions:

Over 500 flights affected.

Following the incident, New York airports were immediately shut down, and numerous flights were canceled. It is estimated that more than 500 flights were impacted, causing chaos in the air traffic system across the New York area.

Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched investigations.