LaGuardia survivor says pilot’s final act helped prevent bigger tragedy: 'Everybody was scared'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A LaGuardia crash survivor has recalled the moment when a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada Express hit a firetruck on Sunday, March 22, killing the pilot and co-pilot.

Rebecca Liquori was one of the passengers of the fateful flight as she thanked one pilot whose final action helped prevent more loss of life. Speaking with News 12, the nurse from New York’s Nassau County shared, “As we were descending, we hit a lot of turbulence. Then we landed very roughly…Everyone felt it.”

Rebecca Liquori recalls collision as 'loudest boom I’ve ever heard'

“It was like the plane jolted and you heard the pilot try to brake, trying to prevent the collision,” she said, before adding, “Everybody jolted out of their seats.”

Liquori also spoke with NBC. She revealed that moments before the crash an announcement was made: “If this flight has an emergency landing don’t take your luggage with you. Just exit quickly.”

And then came the landing, which she described as the roughest she ever had experienced. “It was like a grinding sound. Then, a couple seconds after that, you just felt the collision. It was like the loudest boom I’ve ever heard,” she told the outlet.

Rebecca Liquori says she feels sad for the late pilots and their families

She further noted that since the collision was so loud, “Everybody was scared. Everybody thought they were going to die.”

Liquori, however, praised the plane’s late pilots, who managed to save the passengers’ lives. “I’m just so appreciative that they were able to save us, but I’m just so sad that they weren’t able to make it home to their families. I wouldn’t be here had it not been for the pilot acting quickly,” she said.

Another passenger thanks pilots for saving passengers' lives

The mother of two told MS NOW’s Ana Cabrera that when the accident happened, she did not know the pilots had died. “At the time, I didn’t know that they had passed away, but I was just thinking, ‘I can’t believe this has happened. This is surreal.’ I couldn’t wrap my mind around it — what I was seeing and what I had experienced — and being able to just take a moment to realize that it could have all been over for me,” Liquori mentioned.

Meanwhile, another passenger only identified as Joseph also hailed the hero pilots. He said, “I fully believe that these two pilots, who unfortunately lost their lives, did everything in their power to stop the plane and slow it down at the very last minute. They deserve all the credit for being heroes that day.”