This flight attendant was thrown out of her seat, still buckled, when the Air Canada plane crashed into a fire truck at a US airport.

A flight attendant on an Air Canada plane that collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport (New York, USA) on March 22nd survived after being thrown more than 100 meters from the aircraft while still wearing her seatbelt.

The CRJ-900 jet, operated by Jazz Aviation, collided with a fire truck during landing, killing both the pilot and co-pilot. Nine people were injured and taken to the hospital, including flight attendant Solange Tremblay.

“It was an absolute miracle. At the moment of impact, her seat was flung more than 100 meters out of the plane. They found her and she was still secured in her seat by her seatbelt. She had a guardian angel. Things could have been much worse,” her daughter, Sarah Lépine, told Quebec’s TVA News.

Lépine said her mother had multiple broken bones and had been taken to the hospital for surgery on her broken leg. According to social media profiles, Tremblay began working for Jazz 26 years ago as a flight attendant.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti also called Tremblay’s survival a miracle “considering the extent of the destruction to the nose of the plane.” The nose of the aircraft was almost completely destroyed after the impact. 

“The flight attendant’s seat is a folding seat that is attached to the wall, which is the same wall used in the cockpit,” said Guzzetti, a former federal accident investigator.

“It’s a very sturdy seat. It’s designed to withstand a greater impact load than a passenger seat, because it’s necessary to ensure flight attendants can assist passengers in evacuating the aircraft after an accident,” he added. 

The video footage, capturing the moments before the Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, shows the events immediately preceding the accident.

Jazz Aviation, owned by Chorus Aviation, is an independent regional airline operating short-haul flights for Air Canada under the Air Canada Express brand.

Air Canada, based in Montreal, has not issued an official statement regarding Ms. Tremblay, but several employees have confirmed details of the incident to the Guardian.

TVA identified one of the two pilots as Antoine Forest, 30, from Coteau-du-Lac, a city southwest of Montreal. He joined Jazz Aviation in 2022. The other pilot was Mackenzie Gunther, according to Radio-Canada sources.

“The loss of two fellow flight crew members on Flight 8646 is a profound tragedy,” said Jason Ambrosi, president of the Airline Pilots Association, the world’s largest pilots’ union.

In air traffic control recordings immediately preceding the accident, an officer can be heard over the radio granting permission for a vehicle to cross part of the runway, then attempting to instruct it to stop.

“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the recording shows as the controller attempts to prevent the approaching aircraft from landing. Following the collision, audio clips released by LiveATC reveal air traffic controllers discussing the incident.

One inspector said the collision was “very difficult to witness.” Another replied, “Yeah, I know, I was here. I tried to make contact. We were dealing with an emergency beforehand. I made a mistake.”

“No, I did everything I could,” the other inspector replied in the recording.