Ask Onix
Updated 25 March 2026 - Investigators release cockpit recordings and tower communications as recovery efforts continue.
Crash details and immediate aftermath
Two Air Canada pilots died and 41 people were injured after their passenger jet struck a fire truck on the tarmac at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night. The collision occurred shortly after Flight AC8646 landed from Montreal at approximately 23:40 local time (03:40 GMT).
Photographs from the scene revealed the aircraft, a CRJ 900, tilted backward with its cockpit nearly severed. The fire truck lay on its side, surrounded by scattered debris and twisted metal.
Sequence of events
The fire truck had been dispatched minutes earlier to address an unrelated incident aboard another plane, which reported an odor issue, according to Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia. Air traffic control audio captured a controller urgently shouting, "Truck One, stop, stop, stop!" moments before impact.
Eyewitness Leo Medina, 23, told the BBC he was roughly 100 meters away when the crash occurred. "It was like the plane got cut in half," he said.
Investigation findings
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) disclosed on Tuesday that cockpit voice recordings and tower communications from the final three minutes revealed both the aircraft and the fire truck had been cleared to cross the runway. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy noted that a ground radar system designed to prevent such collisions failed to issue an alert. She also stated the fire truck lacked a transponder, which would have enhanced its detectability.
"Controllers should have all the information and the tools to do their job. You have to have information on the ground movements, whether that's aircraft or vehicles... this is 2026."
Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chair
Homendy described the U.S. air traffic control system as outdated and emphasized that the inquiry would include interviews with the two controllers on duty. She highlighted long-standing concerns about understaffing in air traffic control towers, calling them "high-workload environments" where multiple failures often precede incidents.
Victims and survivors
The aircraft carried 72 passengers and four crew members. The deceased pilots were identified as Antoine Forest, 30, from Québec, and Mackenzie Gunther, a 2023 graduate of Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bran Bedford called their deaths "an absolute tragedy," noting both were at the beginning of their careers.
Garcia confirmed all other passengers and crew had been accounted for. The two first responders inside the fire truck-a sergeant and a police officer-were hospitalized in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Airport operations and public response
LaGuardia, one of the busiest U.S. airports with over 32 million passengers in the past year, resumed limited operations on Monday afternoon using a single runway after canceling more than 600 flights. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey warned travelers to expect ongoing delays and cancellations and advised checking with airlines before heading to the airport.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul both expressed condolences. Mamdani praised first responders for their swift actions, while Hochul called the incident "heartbreaking" and extended thoughts to victims and their families.
