Air Canada flight hits vehicle on runway at LaGuardia Airport
By Karina Tsui, Martin Goillandeau, Lex Harvey, CNN
(CNN) — An Air Canada plane was damaged after colliding with a vehicle on a runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Monday, according to video from the scene and air traffic control audio.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at LaGuardia Airport in New York due to an “aircraft emergency.”
The New York City Fire Department said it responded to a reported incident involving a plane and vehicle on the airport’s runway at around 11:38 p.m.
The plane was Air Canada flight 8646, operated by regional carrier Jazz, according to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24. The CRJ-900 aircraft, currently manufactured by Mitsubishi, seats about 76 passengers.
The flight took off from Montreal Trudeau International Airport shortly after 10:30 p.m. ET and landed at LaGuardia about one hour later, according to FlightRadar24.
The plane approached LaGuardia from the south after the one-hour flight from Montreal, touching down on runway 4. It was going about 130 miles per hour just before it hit the vehicle, according to the last data point collected before the collision by Flightradar24.
Air traffic control audio recorded from the incident captures the moments leading up to a reported collision between the plane and the vehicle.
In the recording, an air traffic controller grants permission for an operations truck to cross a runway. Seconds later, the controller urgently orders the truck to stop, before saying there has been a collision on the field.
“JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now,” an air traffic controller is heard saying in audio captured by the website LiveATC.net.
The NTSB told CNN it received notification of the incident but couldn’t provide more information.
Videos circulating on social media show emergency vehicles surrounding the aircraft with its cockpit appearing damaged.
A CNN reporter at the scene around 2 a.m. said the runway was filled with emergency vehicles.
Earlier, LaGuardia warned of flight disruptions due to weather conditions, with light rain and fog hitting the area. The airport is expected to be closed until 2 p.m. Monday, according to the FAA.
CNN has reached out to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the FAA.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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CNN’s Aaron Cooper and Hanna Park contributed to this report.
