Mangled plane in LaGuardia crash is towed from runway as most injured passengers leave hospital
All but four of the passengers injured in Sunday’s collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck have been released from the hospital, the airline said Wednesday, as crews began removing the mangled aircraft from LaGuardia Airport’s runway.
The crash, still under investigation, killed two pilots and sent about 40 people to area hospitals with injuries, some serious.
The Montreal-originating plane carried 76 people, including crew, when it struck the fire truck that had entered the runway seconds after being cleared by an air traffic controller.
Since Monday, much of the wreckage blocked one of LaGuardia’s two runways. Just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, airport crews began towing the plane’s tail on a dolly while the middle was supported by its intact landing gear. Workers also righted the fire truck, which had been on its side, and cut away much of the destroyed nose.
Air Canada said the plane would go to a hangar and passengers would soon be reunited with their baggage and belongings. Many onboard escaped, and a flight attendant was thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped in her seat.
The pilots were Mackenzie Gunther and Antoine Forest. Passenger Clément Lelièvre praised their “incredible reflexes,” noting they braked just as the plane touched down. Both firefighters in the truck survived.
