NEW YORK, NY — Investigators have identified new details tied to a reported “foul odor” emergency that preceded the runway collision at LaGuardia Airport, as federal officials continue to examine how a fire truck entered the path of a landing aircraft.
According to the Port Authority, air traffic controllers directed the truck onto the runway to assist a United Airlines flight after crew reported “a foul odor that was sickening flight attendants.”
As that response unfolded, an Air Canada Express flight was cleared to land on the same runway.
Audio from the control tower captured a last-second warning as the situation became apparent: “Stop, truck 1, stop!”
The alert came moments before the aircraft struck the vehicle.
The crash killed both pilots aboard the Air Canada flight, operated by Jazz Aviation, and injured multiple people on board.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and reviewing the sequence of decisions that led to the collision.
“I want New Yorkers to know that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of this accident,” Mamdani said.
First responders reached the scene within minutes and evacuated passengers. Some helped others exit the aircraft amid the chaos.
“Passengers who opened the emergency door and helped one another off the plane, people who kept one another calm,” Mamdani said.
One flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, survived after being ejected from the aircraft, suffering leg fractures.
“I’m still trying to understand how all this happened, but she definitely has a guardian angel watching over her,” her daughter told a Canadian television station.
The airport temporarily shut down following the crash and is operating with one runway as investigators continue their work.
Federal officials are now reviewing air traffic control communications, runway coordination and emergency response procedures as part of the ongoing probe.