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2 pilots dead after Air Canada flight crashes in New York

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Two Air Canada pilots have died after their plane collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Flight AC8646, operated by Air Canada Express carrier Jazz Aviation LP (Jazz), departed Montreal on Sunday carrying 72 passengers and four crew members who authorities say were all accounted for. 

According to LaGuardia Airport, the Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate incident on the runway when it was struck at approximately 11:40 p.m. Air Canada says they cannot confirm the exact number of injuries or if there are any other fatalities at this time. However, according to various sources, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey say 41 passengers and crew were taken to hospital, and 32 were eventually released. Some of those who are still in hospital have serious injuries. 

Authorities say the officers inside the ground vehicle are in stable condition. When responding to media questions, authorities gave a few specific examples of what investigators will look at, including:

  • The speed the plane was moving when it collided with the vehicle
  • The staffing of the air traffic control tower at the time
  • If anybody was ejected from the aircraft

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre extended his condolences on Twitter X.

Officials say the situation is developing based on preliminary information, and that 572 flights have been cancelled so far while all arrivals and departures from LaGuardia Airport have been delayed until further notice. The airport will remain closed until at least 2:00 p.m. local time.

In a statement from Air Canada, the company says it’s cooperating with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States while they conduct their investigation. The TSBC says a team of investigators is enroute to New York.

More to come…

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Murder Suspect Identified Among Crash Victims

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A murder suspect has been identified as one of the victims that was aboard a small aircraft that went down on the weekend.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in British Columbia is confirming 36-year-old Gene Karl Lahrkamp was among four people that perished when the plane went down near Kukukus Lake near Sioux Lookout.

The Unit says Lahrkamp was among two Canadian suspects being sought after by authorities in Thailand for the murder of a British Columbia gangster in February.

The other was apprehended in Calgary a few weeks later.

Lahrkamp was recently placed number two on a list of Canada’s 25 most wanted fugitives.

In their release, OPP identify him as being from Kincardine, Ontario.

Others in the crash were 26-year-old Abhinav Handa of Richmond, B.C., the pilot of the privately-owned plane, and 37-year-old Duncan Bailey of Kamloops, B.C.

The identity of a fourth person has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

The Transportation Safety Board is still looking into why the plane crashed.

OPP had said the crash happened sometime between 7 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. the next morning.

 

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Human Remains, Black Boxes Found In Indonesian Jet Crash

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Search and rescue officials have found human remains, wreckage, and black boxes from an Indonesian passenger jet that crashed into the ocean yesterday.

Multiple outlets are reporting the disaster response coordinator Rasman MS says crews have handed over five body bags with victims of the Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 crash to investigators in Jakarta.

The black boxes, a Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder, will help divers with the Indonesian Navy locate more pieces of the jet.

Budi Karya Sumadi, the Indonesian Transportation Minister, confirmed on Saturday that the flight was delayed for an hour before it took off. He added the Boeing 737-500 disappeared from radar four minutes later, after the pilot contacted air traffic control to ascend to an altitude of 29,000 feet.

The airline, in a statement, says the plane was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island.

The plane was carrying 50 passengers and 12 crew members, all Indonesian nationals, including six extra crew for another trip.

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TSB Out With Findings For Fort Hope Plane Crash

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The Transportation Safety Board has released its final report in an investigation into a June 2019 plane crash near Fort Hope.

The findings determined that the possible inadvertent movement of both fuel levers to the stop position resulted in the loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

The North Star Air Turbo aircraft was on a flight from the Fort Hope Airport to Pickle Lake with two flight crew on board when it suddenly went down.

The crew made landed on a nearby lake and the two were able to safely swim to shore.

The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service responded and took the crew to a nursing station for treatment but there were no injuries.

There was no resulting fire but the aircraft suffered substantial damage.

Here is the full report from the TSB

In its investigation report (A19C0070) released today, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) found that the possible inadvertent movement of both fuel levers to the STOP position resulted in a loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing accident on Eabamet Lake, Ontario, in 2019.

On 21 June 2019, at approximately 01:40 Eastern Daylight Time, a North Star Air Ltd. Douglas DC-3C Basler Turbo Conversions TP67 aircraft was conducting a flight from Fort Hope Airport (CYFH), Ontario, to Pickle Lake Airport (CYPL), Ontario, with two flight crew on board: the first officer acting as the pilot flying (PF), seated in the right seat, and the captain acting as the pilot not flying (PNF), seated in the left seat. Shortly after takeoff, both engines lost power simultaneously. The flight crew executed a forced landing on Eabamet Lake, Ontario. After landing, the crew evacuated the aircraft via the main cabin door and swam to shore. The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service responded and took the crew to a nursing station for treatment. There were no injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and there was no post-impact fire.

Sounds captured by the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) suggest that, after lifting the landing gear control handle, the captain’s left hand, which was on or near the throttle quadrant, may have inadvertently moved the fuel condition levers to the STOP position, cutting the fuel to both engines simultaneously. Due to insufficient altitude and time available to the crew, no engine relight options were available before the aircraft collided with the water surface.

The investigation determined that the crew followed the operator’s before-takeoff checklist that did not reflect the latest revision of the airplane flight manual supplement (AFMS), which specifies setting the ignition switches to CONT (continuous mode) for takeoff. If operators do not follow manufacturers’ directions to amend procedures, operators will use incorrect operating procedures, increasing the risk of compromising safety margins.

The investigation concluded that with the ignition system switches not set to CONT, the flight crew did not have enough time to complete an in-flight engine relight procedure before the aircraft collided with the water surface. Additionally, the before-takeoff checklist also required that the automatic feathering system, which quickly reduces the drag associated with a failed engine, be armed for takeoff. In this occurrence, the crew did not arm the system; therefore, it would not have been available if it had been required. If the propeller automatic feathering system is not armed, there is a risk that, in the event of an engine failure, the aircraft would not be able to maintain the required climb gradient and obstacle clearance would not be guaranteed.

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TSB Completes Red Lake Plane Crash Investigation

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The Transportation Safety Board has completed its investigation into a fatal plane crash that occurred southwest of Red Lake in May.

The pilot and a passenger were killed after a Piper PA-12S Super Cruiser crashed near Domain Lake causing a small forest fire.

The Safety Board isn’t making a definite ruling on the cause.

Investigators couldn’t find anything mechanically wrong with the aircraft but their report does note the presence of strong winds which led to an advisory being issued to pilots hours before the incident.

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Final Report Released On Fatal Plane Crash

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The Transportation Safety Board says a wing strut on a plane that crashed near Kenora last winter was excessively corroded.

The T-S-B has released its final report on the March 30th crash at Snowshoe Lake which claimed the lives of two people.

Officials say that wing lift struts transfer weight to the wings while in flight.

Examiners revealed the strut was a mere 2/one thousands of an inch thick at the top and 2/100ths near the bottom, about half of what it should be, which contributed to the struts failure and subsequent crash.

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TSB Issues Findings On Kenora Area Plane Crash

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A corroded aircraft part is to blame for a fatal plane crash at Snowshoe Lake north of Kenora earlier this year.

That’s according to the Transportation Safety Board.

Officials say the aircraft lost control while passing over the area, and the pilot and passenger both died after the small plane crashed into the frozen surface of the lake on March 30th.

They say an inspection revealed a strut near the left wing had broken, adding it should have been replaced before flight because of known issues with that particular aircraft.

Board officials recommend a review of the methods used to detect unsafe levels of corrosion, pointing out tests on the broken part did not reliably show that it was weakened.

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Northern Plane Crash Victims Identified

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Provincial Police have identified the victims in a plane crash in the Wawa area earlier this month.

OPP say 23-year-old Adam Hobbs from New Dundee, and 64-year-old Robert Gregorini from Sault Ste. Marie were pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash happened on July 11th in the town of Hawk Junction.

Officials with the Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the cause.