Air Canada passenger seated at emergency exit says pilots’ actions saved lives
Air Canada Passenger Seated at Emergency Exit Says Pilots’ Actions Saved Lives
The Air Canada Express Flight 8646 incident began with an unrelated issue involving another aircraft. On a misty Sunday night at LaGuardia Airport, nearly midnight, a United Airlines plane had yet to depart and required assistance due to a strong odor causing flight attendants to feel unwell, as revealed in audio transcripts with air traffic controllers. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey sent a fire and rescue truck to the scene. Meanwhile, in the air, Rebecca Liquori, a 35-year-old nurse from North Baldwin, New York, was resting in her seat near the emergency exit after a brief weekend trip to Montreal for a family event.
The flight had faced a two-hour delay, leaving Liquori exhausted. An announcement stirred her from sleep. “If this flight needs an emergency landing, don’t bring your luggage,” a flight attendant warned over the loudspeaker as the plane began its descent. The turbulence was severe, described by Liquori as the most intense she had ever felt. Yet, the plane landed safely before the collision. Then came the crash. “It was like a grinding sound, followed by a loud boom,” she recounted. “You just felt the impact.”
At around 11:45 p.m., Flight 8646 and the fire truck collided on LaGuardia’s Runway 4. The crash killed both pilots and injured approximately 40 passengers, along with two individuals in the truck, according to authorities. The exact cause remains under investigation, with experts considering factors such as radio malfunctions, improper runway crossing, and human error. Audio recordings from air traffic control reveal a controller instructed the truck to cross the runway before issuing the command, “Truck 1, stop.” After the collision, the controller admitted, “I messed up.”
Passenger Accounts of the Impact
Passengers were thrown into chaos during the crash. “When we hit the truck, everyone lurched forward,” said Jack Cabot, a 22-year-old Ithaca College student. “Immediately to my right, this guy’s blood was coming out of his nose, and he had a black eye.” Another passenger sustained a deep forehead wound, with blood flowing down his glasses, Cabot added. “You don’t really think in that moment,” he said. “It’s a moment of genuine shock.”
“We didn’t know if the plane was going to combust,” Liquori said. “Everybody was scared. Everybody thought they were going to die.”
Despite the jolt from the crash, Liquori acted swiftly. “As a nurse, I know it’s best to move quickly in emergencies,” she said. She opened the emergency exit, helping passengers evacuate rapidly. “I estimated I was off the plane within three or four minutes,” she noted. The emergency crew’s response and passengers’ calmness were later praised by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “Those who stayed composed and helped others off the plane made a difference,” he said at a Monday afternoon press briefing.
Fatal air accidents are uncommon, particularly at LaGuardia, one of the nation’s busiest airports. The crash occurred 34 years after a USAir flight bound for Cleveland crashed shortly after takeoff from the same location in 1992, resulting in 27 fatalities, including the pilot. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board continue to examine the incident to determine its cause.