NEW YORK (WABC) — The NTSB’s preliminary report for the deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport on March 22 was released on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The report indicates that the driver of the firetruck and the pilot attempted to swerve to avoid the collision seconds before impact.<\/p>\n
It also notes that runway lights designed to warn ground vehicles of planes landing and taking off were functioning the night of the crash. It does not say why the firetruck did not stop for the lights.<\/p>\n
There were two controllers in the LGA tower the night of the crash, but one controller was doing both jobs while the other controller was coordinating a different emergency.<\/p>\n
Two controllers are standard for this shift\/time.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the NTSB, the “turret operator” said he recalled hearing the controller say “stop stop stop” but didn’t know who that transmission was intended for.<\/p>\n
He then heard “Truck 1 stop stop stop,” realized it was for their vehicle and noticed they had entered the runway. As they turned left, he saw the airplane’s lights on the runway.<\/p>\n
The truck was traveling at 30 miles per hour at the time of the collision and the plane’s last recorded speed was 104 miles per hour.<\/p>\n
Both pilots died in the crash and the two crew members in the truck were hospitalized.<\/p>\n
Roughly 40 passengers and crew members on the plane were also injured.<\/p>\n
No final cause will be determined until the final report, which will be released in 12-24 months.<\/p>\n
(ABC News contributed to this report.)<\/p>\n
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