Federal investigators retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the debris of an Air Canada plane that collided with a fire truck during its landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, as per the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Monday.
The incident resulted in the death of both pilots and injuries to several passengers, along with two Port Authority firefighters from the fire truck.
This tragedy marks the most lethal aviation incident at LaGuardia in over 30 years, according to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The event took place at approximately 11:37 p.m. Eastern time when Jazz Aviation Flight 8646, operating under the Air Canada Express banner, collided with an airport rescue and firefighting vehicle as the aircraft landed on runway 4, according to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
Cockpit voice recorder recovered
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was confirmed to be undamaged after its transport to the NTSB laboratories in Washington, D.C., and work on the flight data recorder was anticipated to commence on Tuesday, as per Homendy. The Port Authority and emergency responders made an incision in the roof of the aircraft to retrieve the cockpit voice and flight data recorders.
The NTSB is optimistic that these devices will provide clarity on whether technical failures or miscommunication led to the fire truck being present on an active runway during the landing. Officials have warned that it is premature to reach any conclusions, with additional findings expected shortly.
NTSB says it has ‘a lot of data’
Homendy stated that the agency possesses a substantial amount of information regarding the crash, adding that they must verify this information before it can be released to the public.
“We have a lot of data right now, a lot of information, including information on tower staffing,” Homendy told the media.
“But the NTSB deals in facts. We don’t speculate. We don’t take one person at their word. We verify that information carefully before we provide it. That is something we still have to do,” she stated.
