QUEENS — Air Canada flight attendant Solange Tremblay was ejected from Flight 8646 when it collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night. Tremblay sustained multiple injuries, including a broken leg, according to Sarah Lépine.
Air Canada Flight 8646 collided with a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport at around 11:40 p.m. on Sunday night. The collision struck the middle of the fire truck and ejected the two Port Authority officers from their seats.
Tremblay's jump seat was ejected more than 300 feet from the plane at the moment of impact, according to Sarah Lépine. She was thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped in her seat.
Two Air Canada pilots were killed in the crash. Captain Antoine Forest, age 24, died when the Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck after landing at LaGuardia Airport. First Officer Mackenzie Gunther, age 30, also died in the collision.
The Air Canada plane was traveling more than 75 miles per hour at the time of the crash, according to a source. Air traffic control preliminarily cleared both the Air Canada plane and the fire truck at the same time to use the runway. The fire truck had been cleared to cross the runway to respond to an incident aboard a taxiing United Airlines flight when it was struck by the Air Canada jet.
Multiple passengers, crew members, and the two Port Authority officers were injured in the crash. The flight was carrying 76 people at the time of the collision. Approximately 40 people were treated at hospitals for injuries after the crash. The majority of those treated have since been released from the hospital.
The destroyed Air Canada plane and the fire truck were towed from the crash site late Wednesday. The runway reopened on Thursday morning at around 10 a.m. after its runway and associated infrastructure were repaired and inspected, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The remains of First Officer Mackenzie Gunther arrived Thursday at Ottawa International Airport, according to the Air Line Pilots Association. Captain Antoine Forest's body was flown to Montréal Trudeau International Airport, according to the Air Line Pilots Association. The National Transportation Safety Board will determine whether communication errors by air traffic control contributed to the crash.