Surveillance camera footage shows the moment the Air Canada plane crashed
Surveillance camera footage recorded from the screen showed the moment an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport.
The chief executive of the National Transportation Safety Board says long waits to get through security lines during a partial government shutdown delayed investigators’ response to the fatal Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport.
An Air Canada passenger plane collided with a fire truck while landing late on the night of March 22, killing two pilots, injuring dozens of passengers and shutting down the busy airport.
The move comes amid a partial government shutdown that has hit the Transportation Security Administration hardest, with employees working without pay and many quitting or not coming to work. Travelers reported waiting for hours in security lines that extended outside the terminal.
NTSB investigators began arriving at the scene in the early morning hours of March 23, within hours of the crash, but at least one person was caught up in security delays, bureau chief Jennifer Homendy said.
“We have an air traffic control expert. She waited three hours before calling Houston to see if we could get her here,” Homendy said. “So it was a really big challenge to get the whole team here.”
Homendy said investigators will continue arriving in LaGuardia at least through the early morning hours of March 24.
Officials said the runway at the crash site will be closed for several days. The closure will further delay the hardships faced by travelers, which have been closed for more than five weeks since funding problems caused by partisan tensions began.
President Donald Trump sent federal immigration agents to some airports this week despite concerns that they are not properly trained to perform TSA duties.
