A tragic incident occurred at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Sunday when an Air Canada Express passenger plane collided with a fire truck on the runway, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot. The accident happened at 11:38 pm local time, with at least 13 people injured, including two firefighters.
CCTV footage from the airport captured the moment of the collision, showing the fire truck and aircraft moving along adjacent runways before meeting at an intersection.
The collision forced the shutdown of LaGuardia Airport, one of the busiest airports in the US, causing widespread disruption to flights. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a formal inquiry into the incident, alongside Canadian authorities. Audio recordings from the air traffic tower reveal a controller’s frantic warning to the fire truck, “Stop, truck one, stop!” followed by an alarm sounding.
Investigation underway
The investigation will examine the circumstances leading up to the collision, including the clearance given to the fire truck to cross the runway. The air traffic controller later admitted, “I messed up,” saying they were dealing with an emergency earlier.
Audio captures moment of disaster
Here’s CCTV footage capturing the exact moment Air Canada Express Flight AC8646, a Bombardier CRJ-900, collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport last night. pic.twitter.com/qxGMZzKXPD
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) March 23, 2026
After the collision, a controller could be heard telling a Frontier Airlines flight crew that the runway would be closed and asked if they would return to the ramp.
“We got stuff in progress for that, man, that wasn’t good to watch,” the Frontier pilots said.
“Yeah, I tried to reach out to ‘em … And we were dealing with an emergency, and I messed up,” the controller replied.
“No, you did the best you could,” Frontier crews said, trying to reassure the air traffic controller.
The moment flight #AC8646 collided with the fire truck at La Guardia. pic.twitter.com/Y7NRwzUNOm
— HoCStaffer (@HoCStaffer) March 23, 2026
Meanhwile, The US President Donald Trump described the crash as “terrible,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences, calling the event “deeply saddening”.
Details of the incident
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation, was arriving from Montreal as Flight 8646 when it hit the fire engine from the Port Authority Police Department on Runway 4. The plane was carrying 76 people, including four crew members. The aircraft was traveling at approximately 24 miles per hour (39 kph) at the time of impact.
The Port Authority Police Department and emergency responders were quickly on the scene, with the airport reopening at a reduced capacity. The incident is the deadliest accident at LaGuardia Airport since 1992
