Everything we know about the LaGuardia plane crash

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — An Air Canada plane crashed into a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, killing the pilot and copilot and injuring dozens of others, according to officials. The CJR900 flying from Montreal collided with the truck during its landing at approximately 11:45 p.m. as the truck was trying to cross the tarmac after being granted permission to check out a reported odor on another plane, officials said Monday. Two Port Authority workers who were in the fire truck and roughly 40 passengers of the 72 aboard were taken to nearby hospitals. “Two young pilots left their homes, expecting to return to their families. They will not," Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a briefing at LaGuardia. Both pilots were based out of Canada, according to officials. Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said a sergeant and an officer were in the fire truck that was hit. One was expected to be released later Monday, and the other was expected to be held at a hospital overnight for evaluation, Garcia said. An air traffic control audio recording captured a controller urgently trying to stop the truck before the collision. “Stop, stop, stop, Truck 1. Stop, stop, stop,” the controller said in the recording. “Stop, Truck 1.” Moments later, the controller frantically tries to divert the incoming aircraft from landing. Roughly 20 minutes later, the controller appears to blame himself. “We were dealing with an emergency earlier,” the controller said. “I messed up.” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the National Transportation Safety Board will make the "judgment call" on whether or not the fire truck should have stopped as it continues its investigation. Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said weather conditions were moderate with wind, rain, and fog, along with 4 miles of visibility. President Donald Trump called it a “terrible” situation. “They made a mistake,” he told reporters. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that the accident was “deeply saddening.” Duffy added that allegations of only one controller present in the air traffic control tower at the time of the crash are "inaccurate." The secretary also mentioned that "It’s important if we care about air travel safety that we have a brand new air traffic control system, the best in the world, with the best equipment.” LaGuardia has 37 controllers, 33 of them fully employed, and seven in training, according to Duffy. He noted that LaGuardia is "well-staffed" for its size. “I know that this crash has shaken New Yorkers today," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “I want to commend those who were thrust into a frightening accident and reacted not only with composure, but by extending a hand to the person next to them.” The NTSB is scheduled to provide more information at 6 p.m. on Monday.