Bengaluru, India: Aviation authorities continue to investigate the recent runway collision at LaGuardia Airport involving an Air Canada Express aircraft, as recovery operations progress and most injured passengers have now been discharged from hospital.
Air Canada confirmed on Wednesday that all but four of the injured passengers from Sunday’s fatal incident have been released, marking a significant step in the recovery process following the accident involving Flight 8646.
At LaGuardia Airport, ground crews have begun clearing the wreckage from Runway 4. Two heavy-duty tow trucks worked together to upright a severely damaged airport fire truck, which had remained overturned since the collision. The CRJ-900 aircraft involved in the incident has since been moved to a hangar, where it will undergo detailed examination by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Preliminary findings have raised concerns regarding air traffic control operations at the time of the incident. In a statement, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy highlighted the “concerning” workload faced by the two controllers on duty during the collision. According to Homendy, the controllers were managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously, including handling an emergency situation while coordinating several active flights.
Investigators have conducted interviews with key personnel, including the controller directing traffic during the incident, a second controller, the air traffic manager, and the operations supervisor. These discussions are expected to provide deeper insights into the sequence of events leading up to the collision.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities focusing on operational procedures, communication protocols, and workload management within the air traffic control system.
The incident has once again brought attention to aviation safety standards and the importance of efficient coordination between ground operations and air traffic control, particularly at high-traffic airports like LaGuardia.
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