WASHINGTON, DC — THE United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into a runway mishap at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Sunday night that left two pilots dead and more than 40 people reportedly injured.
According to the FAA, the incident occurred around 11:45 p.m. and involved Air Canada Express Flight 8646 and an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was crossing the runway at the time of the incident.
In a statement, the FAA said the Air Canada flight struck the firefighting vehicle after landing on Runway 4 at LaGuardia. The CRJ-900 aircraft had arrived from Montreal when the accident occurred, with both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA now investigating the matter.
Photos and videos from the airport show the aircraft with severe damage to its nose.
Following the incident, the airport was closed until 2:00 p.m. today, with all flights in and out grounded, causing major disruptions to air traffic.
During a press briefing, Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia revealed that the Air Canada flight, operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 people on board at the time of the accident.
It has since been confirmed that nine people remain hospitalized with serious injuries following the crash.
Audio released from the incident suggests the fire-rescue vehicle had been given clearance to proceed before a stop call was issued. However, the collision still occurred, raising renewed concerns about aviation safety in the United States.
Several aviation incidents were reported last year, including the disaster at Reagan Airport that claimed the lives of everyone on board an American Airlines flight.
