Monday March 23, 2026 | NEW YORK, NY [10:14 am PT | Updated 10:23 & 10:52 am PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Two Air Canada pilots have been killed in a collision involving their aircraft and a firetruck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
One was the pilot and the other the co-pilot (first officer). Names have yet to be released.
The latest news release update from Jazz Aviation (operating as Air Canada Express) was posted around 1:20 pm ET today (10:20 am PT), with relatively little new information but including the aircraft type (CRJ900).
Late Sunday night:
The crash of Flight AC8646 happened at 11:47 pm Eastern Time, according to the Jazz/Air Canada news releases.
The jet had been carrying 72 passengers and four crew. Forty-one injured people were taken to hospital (with 31 later discharged according to the BBC — or 32 according to the on-site port authority).
The flight from Montreal Trudeau International Airport was operated by Air Canada Express carrier Jazz Aviation.
At the time of the collision on runway #4 the aircraft was travelling at 170 kph and the firetruck at 40 kph.
The aircraft did not catch on fire.
Conditions:
The plane had already landed and had been permission to use the runway on which the crash occurred. A firetruck that had previously been given permission to cross the runway was then asked repeatedly to stop.
There is apparently a shortage of air traffic controllers at US airports due to staffing cuts by the Trump administration.
According to media reports, in the moments before the collision the firefighting truck had been responding to a separate incident on a United Airlines flight that had aborted its takeoff after reporting that a ‘strange odour’ on the plane was making people on that plane feel ill.
The busy LaGuardia Airport near Manhattan is one of the three major airports serving the New York City region. Ground activity is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Audio:
Based on international media reports, one air traffic control could be heard on a radio transmission giving clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac, then trying to stop it.
“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the transmission says. The controller can then be heard frantically diverting incoming aircraft from landing.
In the aftermath of the collision, one staffer sought to console another. “That wasn’t good to watch,” says one.
“I know. I tried to reach out,” says the second person. “We were dealing with an emergency earlier.”
“You did the best you could,” the first person said.
Canadian comments:
Canada’s Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon said this morning in social media that “Canada is working closely with U.S. authorities as they investigate this incident, and we are following developments closely. Aviation safety remains our highest priority.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the crash is “deeply saddening” and that “Canadian officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts on the ground as the investigation continues. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those impacted”.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford offered his condolences in a brief comment to media.
Airport back in action:
The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded all planes at the airport until at least 2 pm ET.
Some passengers were seen arriving around 1:30 pm ET for outgoing flights, according to CBC TV.
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