Air traffic controller heard telling truck to stop moments before deadly Air Canada crash

Moments before an Air Canada plane collided with a ground vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport — killing two of its pilots — an air traffic controller is heard on the radio urgently telling the fire truck to stop and not cross the runway, using the word “stop” at least ten times.

Minutes earlier, radio chatter from LiveATC.net indicates that a United Airlines flight had reported a strange odour on board, prompting an emergency response by the airport’s rescue and firefighting team.

A fire truck was cleared to cross Runway 4, where Air Canada Flight 8646 was about to land.

Moments later, on the radio, a controller can be heard saying: “Stop, stop, stop. Truck 1, stop. Truck 1, stop.”

The aircraft hit the fire truck going about 39 kilometres per hour, according to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11:37 p.m. ET.

The controller can be heard continuing to do his job — but clearly in distress — as alarms sound at his location.

He orders an approaching Delta airliner to “go around” — meaning to halt its already-approved landing on the same runway. The plane acknowledges and ascends.

The controller tells the Air Canada pilots that help is on the way. But the jet’s nose is already sheared off. They likely do not hear and may have already been dead.

A major event is declared just before midnight at LaGuardia. The affected runway is ordered closed, and all remaining emergency vehicles are approved to proceed to the crash site. 

Additional fire trucks are then called in from the fire department of New York.

The controller is then heard on the audio saying “I messed up.” Another pilot tries to console him. Standard procedure would then require he be relieved of his position — the very first step in what will be a long investigation.

Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said 41 people were taken to hospitals in Queens and that 32 were eventually released.

She said nine people remained in hospital and that some are in serious condition.

“Sadly, the two pilots are confirmed deceased and notifications are being made by Air Canada’s care team at this time,” Garcia told a news conference early Monday.

A statement from Jazz Aviation, a regional partner of Air Canada, said 72 passengers and four crew members were on board the plane when it crashed. Flight AC8646 originated at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal.

Photos show the jet with its cockpit destroyed, wires and flight controls dangling out from the fuselage. Nearby, a damaged emergency vehicle lay on its side.

Stairways used to evacuate passengers from aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ.

The pilots were both based out of Canada, Garcia said.

The airport was to remain closed until at least 2 p.m. ET Monday to facilitate the investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).