NEW YORK — Two pilots have been confirmed dead after an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, in a devastating accident that has injured dozens and prompted a major aviation investigation.
The aircraft, operating as Flight AC8646 from Montreal, was carrying 76 people — 72 passengers and four crew — when it struck the emergency vehicle shortly after landing around 11:30 p.m. Authorities confirmed all individuals on board have been accounted for.
Officials say 41 people were taken to hospitals in Queens, with most later released. As of Monday morning, nine remained under medical care, including some in serious condition. Two Port Authority workers in the fire truck sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The aircraft involved was a Bombardier CRJ900, operated by Jazz Aviation under the Air Canada Express banner. The impact caused catastrophic damage to the front of the plane, with the cockpit area torn open and exposed, highlighting the severity of the collision.
The fire truck had been responding to a separate emergency involving a United Airlines flight that aborted takeoff due to an onboard odour issue. During this ongoing situation, the truck entered the runway where the Air Canada jet was landing.
Air traffic control recordings reveal a controller urgently warning, “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” moments before the crash. Seconds later, the aircraft collided with the vehicle, triggering chaos both on the runway and inside the cabin.
Passengers described a terrifying scene, with many saying the aircraft “immediately hit something,” followed by screaming and a rushed evacuation through emergency exits. With the cockpit heavily damaged, passengers reportedly took initiative to evacuate without instructions from the front of the plane.
Air Canada said it is “deeply saddened” by the loss of its two pilots, both based in Canada, and has dispatched officials to New York to support the investigation and assist affected passengers and families.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, which will examine cockpit voice recordings, flight data, air traffic control communications and ground operations to determine how the collision occurred.
The crash has also disrupted air travel across the region, with LaGuardia Airport closed for several hours and dozens of flights cancelled, including connections from Toronto and Montreal.
Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon confirmed that Canada is working closely with U.S. authorities, emphasizing that aviation safety remains the top priority.
As investigators begin piecing together the sequence of events, the aviation community is mourning the loss of two pilots and seeking answers about how a landing aircraft and an emergency vehicle came to occupy the same runway — a scenario that should never occur under standard safety protocols.