00:02Delays are expected to last for the end of the week at LaGuardia Airport in New York,
00:07as investigators work to pin down what led to a deadly runway collision.
00:11New audio and video are now giving a clearer picture of what happened.
00:16Newly released video captures the moment an Air Canada passenger jet collided with the fire truck on the runway.
00:23What led up to the deadly collision is still under investigation.
00:27You see it right there. Wow.
00:29Early details point to a chain of events involving another flight.
00:33The fire truck was responding to a United plane after the crew reported a strong odor in the cabin and
00:40passengers feeling sick.
00:42At the same time, an Air Canada Express flight coming in from Montreal was approaching the runway.
00:48Passengers say the crew warned of an emergency landing just before touchdown, then the massive impact.
00:54Air traffic control audio shows a controller clearing the fire truck to go ahead and cross the runway,
01:01then urgently trying to stop it.
01:21In other recordings, an air traffic controller is heard saying they were, quote,
01:26dealing with an emergency earlier and, quote, I messed up.
01:30It's not clear if that voice is from the same controller.
01:34The incident comes as the U.S. faces a shortage of air traffic controllers.
01:38But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says staffing was not the issue at LaGuardia.
01:43This airport has a target of 37 controllers at LaGuardia.
01:49We have 33 controllers employed, certified at LaGuardia.
01:56And we have six that are seven, actually, that are in training.
01:59So as our airports go, LaGuardia is a very well-staffed airport.
02:05We're a couple controllers short in total, but it is a well-staffed airport.
02:11A CNN review found pilots have flagged miscommunication at LaGuardia.
02:16At least a dozen reports were filed last summer with NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System,
02:21including one describing a close call involving multiple aircraft.
02:26One report even compared conditions at LaGuardia to those at Reagan National Airport
02:31before a deadly mid-air collision last January
02:33between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter.
Comments