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At least two Port Authority officers reportedly sustained critical injuries after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York City late Sunday (May 22) night, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the New York Post.
A Port Authority fire truck was attempting to cross Runway 4 to get to a separate United Airlines flight departing for Chicago after it had rejected two takeoffs and declared an emergency on the ground due to a strange odor making flight attendants sick, according to audio from LaGuardia's traffic tower. The truck was cleared to cross Runway 4 when the Air Canada/Jazz CRJ flight collided with it.
Footage from the Citizen app showed emergency vehicles on the runway after a plane that arrived from Montreal struck the truck, according to the Citizen app. Photos shared online showed the Air Canada plane smashed and tiling in the air in the aftermath of the crash.
The accident occurred at Runway 4 just before 11:40 p.m. as the plane was heading to a gate as rainy and cloudy weather was present in New York City. The arriving plane, a Bombardier CRJ-900, was reportedly carrying a group of Orthodox Jews, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the New York Post late Sunday night.
The Port Authority and New York Fire Department didn't immediately provide public statements on the crash at the time of publication early Monday (March 23) morning. LaGuardia Airport issued an alert about rainy and cloudy weather that could potentially disrupt operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a ground stop was issued for LaGuardia Airport due to an aircraft emergency.
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