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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:10 PM – Monday, March 23, 2026
A catastrophic ground collision at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night left at least two pilots dead and 41 people hospitalized.
The accident reportedly occurred when an arriving Air Canada Express flight hit a Port Authority fire truck responding to a separate emergency, forcing the immediate closure of one of the nation’s busiest aviation hubs.
At approximately 11:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, Air Canada Express Flight 8646 — a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation — was completing its landing on Runway 4 after a flight from Montreal.
Simultaneously, a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle was crossing the runway. The truck was responding to an unrelated emergency involving a United Airlines flight that had reported a “suspicious odor” in its cabin.
According to flight-tracking data and recent reports:
- The aircraft was traveling at approximately 100 mph at the moment of impact.
- The collision was a near-head-on strike that severed the nose and cockpit of the regional jet.
- The force of the impact caused the fire truck to flip onto its side and sent the aircraft skidding down the tarmac, eventually “coming to rest with its mangled nose tilted upward,” officials say.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that both the pilot and co-pilot of the Air Canada Express flight were sadly killed. Both were Canadian nationals.
The emergency response also resulted in 41 people being transported to area hospitals.
One flight attendant reportedly “fell through a gash in the fuselage” while still strapped to her seat, though she survived with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police continued. Both officers inside the fire truck were hospitalized in stable condition with broken limbs and other injuries.
As of Monday morning, Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia stated that 32 individuals have been released, while nine remain hospitalized with serious injuries, including one passenger treated for a brain bleed.
Leaked audio from LiveATC.net has provided a chilling glimpse into the moments preceding the crash. The recordings suggest a morbid breakdown in communication.
A controller can be heard clearing “Truck 1” to cross Runway 4 at Taxiway Delta. Moments later, the same controller realized the Air Canada jet was on its landing roll. He can be heard shouting, “Stop, Truck 1! Stop! Stop! Stop!” In the minutes following the collision, the controller was recorded speaking to another staff member, stating, “I tried to reach out… I messed up.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has since deployed a “Go Team” to lead the investigation. Investigators have already recovered the “black boxes” and are examining whether staffing levels — impacted by a recent federal funding lapse — played a role in the controller’s error.
LaGuardia Airport remains closed to all flight operations. A ground stop is currently in effect until at least “2:00 p.m. ET Monday,” although officials warn of a “high likelihood” of an extended suspension.
“The loss of our two fellow crewmembers is a profound tragedy. These pilots dedicated their careers to the safe transport of passengers, and our hearts are with their families,” said Jason Ambrosi, the president of the Air Line Pilots Association.
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