A terrible accident happened late Sunday night at LaGuardia Airport in New York. An Air Canada Express plane, flight AC8646, crashed into a fire truck on a runway. Sadly, the two pilots of the plane died. Many other people were also hurt. The accident closed the busy airport for many hours. The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the crash.
The plane had just landed from Montreal with 72 passengers and 4 crew members. It was an Embraer E175 aircraft. Reports say the plane had problems landing. There was strong shaking right before the crash. Passengers on other planes saw the bad accident. One person said it looked like the plane was cut in half. The strong crash made the airport terminal shake.
The pilots who died were Antoine Forest, 30, and Mackenzie Gunther. In the confusion after the crash, 41 people were injured. These included passengers and maybe airport workers. They were taken to hospitals for care. Some injuries were very serious and needed immediate help.
Investigators are looking very closely at how this happened. We heard the air traffic controller tried to stop the fire truck. One controller shouted, "Stop, Truck 1. Stop." Another message showed the controller was busy with another emergency. The controller said, "I messed up." This suggests there was a communication problem. The fire truck was going to another emergency when it went onto the runway.
LaGuardia Airport stopped all flights after the crash. The runway was closed because of plane parts and dangerous materials. The airport opened again on Monday afternoon. However, many flights were cancelled or delayed. This caused problems for many travelers.
The NTSB sent a team to investigate. They will try to understand everything that happened. They have found the plane's black boxes. These will help them learn about the plane's last moments.
The US Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, sent his sympathy. He said this shows how important safety is. He also said passengers should stay seated after landing. The FAA and NTSB have promised to do a full investigation.
This sad event reminds us of the dangers of flying. It also shows how important clear communication is for air traffic control. People are waiting for the NTSB's findings. They hope this will help prevent future tragedies.