Donald Trump Reacts to ‘Terrible’ LaGuardia Plane Crash That Killed 2 Pilots, Says ‘It’s a Dangerous Business’

Donald Trump Reacts to ‘Terrible’ LaGuardia Plane Crash That Killed 2 Pilots, Says ‘It’s a Dangerous Business’

Donald Trump Reacts to ‘Terrible’ LaGuardia Plane Crash That Killed 2 Pilots, Says ‘It’s a Dangerous Business’

An Air Canada plane crashed into a firetruck at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday, March 22, shutting down the high-profile air hub

President Donald Trump described the plane crash at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport that killed two pilots as “terrible,” adding that air travel is “a dangerous business.”

An Air Canada plane collided with a firetruck responding to a separate incident on the runway at the Queens airport around 11:40 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 22, officials said. The airport, just a 10-minute drive from the president’s childhood home, shut down in response to the incident and was set to remain closed through at least 2 p.m. on Monday, March 23.

“Terrible. They made a mistake. It’s a dangerous business,” the president told reporters as he boarded Air Force One bound for Nashville. “That’s terrible.”

The flight originating from Montreal was carrying 72 passengers and four crew, Air Canada told NBC News and other outlets. The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, a spokesperson for the New York City-area transit agency Port Authority said in a statement to PEOPLE.

Audio of the air traffic controllers at LaGuardia during and after the collision was released on Monday. A controller can be heard shouting “stop” at the firetruck after initially giving it approval to cross the runway. Later, the controller says, “I messed up.”

Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the Port Authority, said at a press conference that 41 people were transported to hospitals and that 32 had been released by Monday morning. Two Port Authority officers had sustained serious injuries, but Garcia said they were in stable condition. LaGuardia was set to be closed until 2 p.m., but the closure might extend later in the day, Garcia noted.

One unaccompanied minor on the flight had been reunited with family, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the circumstances of the crash, local and federal authorities said. On Monday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that he was on his way to LaGuardia to oversee the investigation and federal response.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who represents New York, said he spoke to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. The agency told PEOPLE that Homendy was set to be at the site of the collision on Monday.

“Two pilots lost their lives and dozens of New Yorkers were injured, and we owe it to them and their families to find out exactly how this happened,” Schumer wrote. “I will be watching like a hawk to make sure the NTSB and local authorities get to the bottom of this.

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Trump’s second term has been marked by high-profile air traffic incidents, including the fatal midair collision of an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, 2025.

“Family and friends who need information about passengers on Air Canada Express flight AC8646 may telephone Air Canada at 1-800-961-7099,” the airline said in a Monday statement.