Air travelers across the state and nation are dealing with flight disruptions Monday following a deadly accident at New York's LaGuardia (LGA) Airport Sunday night. The major transit hub was shutdown but reopened Monday afternoon.
Around 11:45 p.m. Sunday, an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck that was crossing the tarmac after being given permission to check on another plane reporting a concerning odor. The pilot and copilot, whose names have not been released, were killed and about 40 passengers and crew members were injured.
Before the collision, an unnamed air traffic controller could be heard on airport communications frantically and repeatedly telling the fire truck to stop. The Jazz Aviation flight, which was operating on behalf of Air Canada, had about 70 passengers and four crew members onboard as it landed from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
The pilot and copilot who died were both based out of Canada, said Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.