Air Canada Express Jet Collides with Rescue Vehicle at LaGuardia Airport
A regional jet operating as Air Canada Express Flight 8646 collided with a Port Authority rescue vehicle on a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night. The incident resulted in the deaths of the aircraft's pilot and co-pilot and injuries to dozens of other individuals. The collision led to the temporary closure of the airport and initiated an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Incident Overview
The collision occurred around 11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, as Air Canada Express Flight AC8646, a Jazz Aviation-operated CRJ-900 aircraft, was landing after its flight from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Preliminary data suggests the plane was traveling between 93 and 105 mph (approximately 150-170 km/h) at the time of impact.
The Port Authority rescue vehicle, a fire truck, was on the runway responding to a separate incident involving United Airlines Flight 2384, which had reported an anti-ice warning light and an odor in its cabin.
Casualties and Injuries
The pilot and co-pilot of the Air Canada Express jet were killed in the collision. One of the pilots was identified as Antoine Forest, 30.
A total of 41 individuals, comprising passengers and crew from the aircraft, along with two Port Authority officers from the fire truck, were transported to hospitals. Thirty-two individuals were initially released, while nine remained hospitalized with serious injuries. The two officers in the fire truck sustained non-life-threatening injuries, including broken limbs, and were reported to be in stable condition.
One flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, was reportedly ejected from the aircraft while still secured in her seat. She sustained multiple bone fractures and underwent surgery for a broken leg; her condition is expected to be non-fatal. An unaccompanied minor from the flight was reunited with family.
Circumstances Leading to the Collision
Audio recordings from LaGuardia's air traffic control (ATC) tower indicate that the fire truck had initially received clearance to cross the runway. However, shortly before the collision, air traffic controllers issued urgent directives for the truck to stop, repeatedly stating, "Stop, stop, stop, truck 1 stop, truck 1, stop."
Approximately 20 minutes after the collision, an air traffic controller was recorded stating, "I messed up," and acknowledged, "We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up."
Photos from the scene showed significant damage to the front of the aircraft, with the nose crushed and the plane angled upward. The fire truck was observed lying on its side. Passengers evacuated the plane through emergency exits after the impact.
Investigation Underway
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched a full investigation into the incident, with assistance from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Air Canada, and Jazz Aviation. Investigators will examine air and ground traffic management, communication breakdowns, and potential contributing factors such as controller staffing levels, shift patterns, and fatigue. No foul play or terrorism is suspected.
Preliminary NTSB Findings- The airport's Airport Surface Detection System, Model X (ASDE-X), designed to track surface movement, did not generate an alert prior to the collision. This was attributed to "the close proximity of vehicles merging and unmerging near the runway, resulting in the inability to create a track of high confidence."
- The involved fire truck lacked a transponder, a device that identifies a vehicle and its location. None of the fire trucks at LaGuardia are equipped with transponders.
- Two air traffic controllers were in the tower at the time: a local controller managing active runways and airspace, and a controller in charge overseeing safety operations and acting as clearance delivery controller. This staffing level is standard for LaGuardia's midnight shifts, though the NTSB has previously raised concerns about such practices and workload in busy airspaces.
The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, commonly known as "black boxes," were recovered and sent to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C., for analysis. Analysis of the cockpit voice recorder revealed that nine seconds before the recording ended, tower controllers instructed the fire truck to stop. Eight seconds before the end, the plane appeared to land, and six seconds before the end, the first officer transferred control to the captain. The stop directive to firefighters was repeated four seconds before the recording concluded.
Airport Operations and Impact
Following the collision, LaGuardia Airport was closed, leading to a ground stop issued by the FAA. This resulted in the diversion or cancellation of hundreds of flights, with at least 573 flight cancellations reported on Monday alone. Major airlines offered waivers for rebooking fees.
Runway 4 (also identified as Runway 4/22), the site of the collision, remained closed for several days to facilitate the investigation and wreckage removal. Runway 13/31 reopened by midafternoon on Monday, allowing the airport to resume operations at reduced capacity. The damaged aircraft and fire truck were towed from the crash site late Wednesday. Runway 4/22 reopened on Thursday morning after repairs and inspections confirmed compliance with FAA safety regulations. Despite the reopening, significant flight disruptions, delays, and cancellations continued to be anticipated.
LaGuardia Airport, the 19th busiest airport in the U.S. in 2024, handles approximately 900 flights per day and is known for its congestion.
Official Reactions
U.S. President Donald Trump described the accident as "terrible" and indicated that "a mistake was made." Canada's Prime Minister expressed condolences, and Canadian officials are assisting with the investigation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy requested additional congressional funding for air traffic control modernization. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford noted that the deceased pilots were "young men at the start of their careers."