Eyewitnesses have described the moment Air Canada flight AC8646 crashed into a fire truck on the runway of New York's LaGuardia airport, killing two pilots and injuring dozens of others. 'We were literally like 100 metres away,' recalls 23-year-old Leo Medina, who was onboard another plane on the tarmac when the crash happened. 'It was like the plane got cut in half.' He had to return to the gate and wait at the airport for over 12 hours.

Another passenger, Rebecca Liquori, who was on the flight that crashed, reported a loud boom just after landing, describing turbulence and chaos inside the cabin as others scrambled for safety. 'I'm just happy to be alive,' Liquori stated. 'I never would have pictured a one-hour flight ending like this.'

The collision occurred around 23:40 local time, leading to the closure of LaGuardia Airport and a wave of flight cancellations and delays. The air traffic control tower audio recorded moments before the crash revealed an urgent warning to the fire truck, highlighting the tragic miscommunication that led to this disaster. As investigations continue, survivors are left to reflect on the terror they encountered as one of the busiest airports in the U.S. grapples with the fallout from this fatal incident.