‘I messed up’: What air traffic controller said before, after deadly LaGuardia Airport crash
LaGuardia airport crash: 2 killed, about 40 injured
Investigators walk the site, Monday, March 23, 2026, where an Air Canada jet came to rest after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, after landing Sunday night in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig, Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
An Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night, killing two pilots and injuring others.
Twenty minutes after the crash, an air traffic controller can be heard on transmissions blaming himself for what happened, according to the Associated Press.
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2 dead after plane crashes into truck at LaGuardia Airport
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“We were dealing with an emergency earlier,” the air traffic controller said. “I messed up.”
The fire truck was responding to a report of “an issue with odor” on a United Airlines flight at the time of the crash.
After initially giving the fire truck permission to cross the tarmac, the air traffic controller tried to stop the truck.
“Stop stop stop,” the air traffic controller said before the crash. “Stop, Truck 1. Stop.”
After that, the air traffic controller can be heard on the audio frantically diverting an incoming plane from landing.
The Air Canada jet was carrying more than 70 passengers. The pilot and copilot were killed in the collision, and about 40 passengers and crew members were injured.
Two Port Authority employees inside the fire truck were also hurt. Their injuries weren’t believed to be life-threatening.
According to the Associated Press, air traffic controllers haven’t been impacted by the partial government shutdown that’s causing long TSA lines at airports across the country, but have been impacted by shutdowns in the past.
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