‘Stop, stop, stop’: Firefighter heard warning before deadly LaGuardia crash, NTSB report says

A newly released federal report is shedding light on the final moments before a deadly runway collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.A firefighter driving a truck involved in the March 22 crash heard an air traffic controller warn "stop, stop, stop," but did not initially realize the instruction was meant for the vehicle, according to the Associated Press, citing a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.The crash happened when Air Canada Express Flight 8646 struck the fire truck while landing on Runway 4, killing both pilots, Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther.The plane, a CRJ900 regional jet arriving from Montreal, had more than 70 people on board. About 40 people, including the two people in the fire truck, were taken to hospitals. A flight attendant survived after being thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped into her seat.An air traffic controller cleared the fire truck to cross the runway about 12 seconds before the plane touched down at around 11:35 p.m.After the initial warning, the truck’s turret operator later heard the controller say, "Truck 1, stop, stop, stop," and realized the instruction was directed at them. By that point, the truck was already on the runway and the aircraft was approaching at landing speed.As the truck turned, the operator saw the airplane’s lights coming down the runway moments before impact, the AP reported.It remains unclear why the warning was not immediately understood or acted upon by the fire truck crew.Investigators are also examining why safety systems designed to prevent such incidents failed to provide timely alerts.A crash prevention system used by air traffic controllers did not generate an audio or visual warning ahead of the collision, according to the Associated Press.Runway lights that act like stop signals for crossing traffic remained on until about three seconds before the crash.The airport’s advanced surface surveillance system, known as ASDE-X, also did not function as intended. The fire truck was not equipped with a transponder, and the presence of multiple emergency vehicles traveling closely together may have prevented the system from triggering an alarm.The fire truck was part of a convoy responding to an emergency involving a strong odor reported on a United Airlines flight. The convoy included six vehicles: four fire trucks, a stair truck, and a police vehicle.At the time, LaGuardia’s control tower was handling heavier-than-normal traffic due to earlier flight delays. Arrivals and departures after 10 p.m. were more than double what had been scheduled, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium cited by the AP.Planes were landing every few minutes, with about a dozen arrivals in the 40 minutes leading up to the crash, while controllers were also coordinating the emergency response.The NTSB’s investigation remains ongoing, and additional findings are expected as investigators continue to examine system performance, communication, and procedures leading up to the crash.