The plane, a CRJ-900, can be seen resting at extreme angle, with the back of the tail touching the ground and the nose several metres in the air.
The cockpit has been nearly demolished, with damage extending as far back as the first passenger window, and a trail of exposed wires and other debris hanging down to the ground. On the tarmac under the fuselage of the plane can be seen luggage and other objects that have fallen from the wreck.
After the crash, a mobile stairway labelled “Port Authority Police” could be seen set up at the side of the aircraft to help remove passengers.
Just off the runway lay the heavily damaged Port Authority fire truck, flipped on its side and shredded by the force of the impact.
Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, said two employees travelling in the truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The plane’s two pilots were killed in the crash, and 39 of the 72 passengers were sent to the hospital, nine of whom remain in care, some in critical condition.
Numerous emergency vehicles responded to the disaster, and a command post was established near the crash site. Meanwhile, police diverted traffic away from the airport, which was shut down after the crash.
Inside the airport, passengers could be seen waiting for flights that were cancelled because of the tragedy. All flights into and out of LaGuardia were cancelled until at least 2 P.M. Monday following the crash.
Aircraft were left parked at the terminal as the investigation and cleanup efforts continued throughout the day.
Adding to the confusion in the region, arrivals and departures were temporarily paused at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Monday morning after air traffic controllers evacuated the tower due to a burning smell from an elevator, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said.
The agency determined that no fire had occurred. The delay lasted less than an hour, with no injuries reported.