LaGuardia Airport - Accidents and Incidents

Accidents and Incidents

• On February 1, 1957, Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashed on takeoff into Rikers Island. Of 101 people aboard, 21 were killed.
• On February 3, 1959, American Airlines Flight 320 crashed on approach into the East River. Of 73 people aboard, 65 were killed.
• On 4 January 1971, Douglas C-47A N7 of the Federal Aviation Administration crashed on approach to La Guardia Airport. The aircraft was on a flight from Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The cause of the accident was windshear.
• On December 29, 1975, a bomb exploded at LaGuardia, killing 11 people and injuring 74.
• On September 21, 1989, USAir Flight 5050 bound for Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, crashed after aborting takeoff and rolling off the end of the runway into the East River. The plane broke into three pieces, and three passengers died as a result.
• On March 22, 1992, USAir Flight 405 bound for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, crashed on takeoff at LaGuardia because of icing on its wings. Of 51 people aboard, 27 were killed.
• On March 2, 1994, Continental Airlines Flight 705 to Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, aborted takeoff in a snowstorm and skidded down the runway into a ditch.
• On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 departing for Charlotte/Douglas International Airport ditched in the Hudson River at a gradual angle after losing both engines as a result of multiple bird strikes at an altitude of 3,000 feet (910 m); all 150 passengers (12 in first class and 138 in economy) and 5 crew members (2 pilots and 3 flight attendants) were successfully evacuated from a safe water ditch.
• The airport closed down on October 29, 2012, after being flooded as a result of Hurricane Sandy, and did not reopen until November 1.