The incident at LaGuardia attracted attention, and thanks to audio recordings, photographic materials, and flight information, The New York Times was able to reconstruct in detail the sequence of events leading up to the collision.
Events Leading Up to the Incident
Before the incident, a United Airlines plane located on the east side of the airport requested assistance after several unsuccessful takeoff attempts and reports of an unpleasant odor. A fire truck was dispatched, moving across the airport towards the United plane.
Meanwhile, according to flight information, at 23:36, Air Canada Express flight 8646 was approaching runway 4 at a speed of about 150 miles per hour.
Permission to Cross the Runway
Thirty seconds before the collision, which occurred around 23:37, the fire truck contacted the dispatcher for permission to cross runway 4 at point "D". The dispatcher immediately granted permission, stating: "Fire truck number 1, crossing runway 4 at delta point."
Just ten seconds after receiving permission and about ten seconds before the collision, the dispatcher said: "Stop, stop, stop, stop, truck 1, stop, stop, stop."
According to flight data, the Air Canada plane touched down approximately 15 seconds before colliding with the fire truck.
The dispatcher again urged truck number 1 to stop about ten seconds before the accident.
Analysis of flight information shows that in the six seconds between the first and second stop commands from the dispatcher, the United Airlines plane traveled about 1,000 feet at a speed of around 200 feet per second, which corresponds to 130 miles per hour.
The Moment of Collision
Video footage from surveillance cameras analyzed by The New York Times captured the moment when the Air Canada plane was taxiing on the runway and approaching the intersection where the fire truck had requested permission. At the moment the fire truck turned left onto runway 4, the collision occurred around 23:37.
Before the accident, one of the passengers, 35-year-old Rebecca Licuori, reported that there was turbulence during the landing preparations and the flight attendant warned of possible actions in case of an emergency landing.
According to an assessment conducted by The Times, the speed of the plane just before the collision was approximately 110 miles per hour, using the length of the plane as a reference scale.
After the collision, the plane continued to move for about 600 feet down the runway before coming to a stop. The fire truck overturned and also skidded down the runway before coming to rest on the grassy median.
The diagram below shows how a Bombardier CRJ-900 jet compares to a typical airport fire truck.
Response to the Incident
Video and photographs of the aftermath show that the front of the plane, including the cockpit, was severely damaged as a result of the impact. Both pilots were killed, and flight attendant Solange Tremblay, who remained strapped to her seat, was thrown from the plane and suffered a broken leg.
