Video| The moment a plane smashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport
Audio from air traffic control suggests confusion in the moments before the crash. A controller can be heard warning, “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” before trying to divert aircraft.
An Air Canada jet and Port Authority fire truck sit on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with each other after the jet landed Sunday night in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Seconds before the collision at 11:38 pm EDT, an air traffic controller is heard warning, “Stop, truck one, stop!”, followed by an alarm. A regional aircraft operated by Air Canada struck a fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot and injuring at least 13 people, including two firefighters.
CCTV footage shows both vehicles approaching a runway intersection before impact, with the force overturning the truck and the plane sliding along the tarmac with smoke rising.
The aircraft, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew. The fire truck was responding to another emergency when the collision took place at about 11:45pm ET, officials said.
Nine people were taken to hospital, while two firefighters suffered serious injuries. US transportation secretary Sean Duffy said, as quoted by The Guardian, that “both pilots of the aircraft have passed away” and more than a dozen people were hurt.
Audio from air traffic control suggests confusion in the moments before the crash. A controller can be heard warning, “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” before trying to divert aircraft. Another voice later said, “I messed up,” according to recordings cited by The Guardian.
US President Donald Trump called the incident “terrible”, while Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said it was “deeply saddening”.
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An Air Canada Jet sits on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle after landing in New York. (AP Photo)
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation. Authorities will also review whether staffing levels in air traffic control played a role.
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An Air Canada jet and Port Authority fire truck sit on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with each other after the jet landed Sunday night in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
