NEW YORK—Two pilots of an incoming Air Canada Express plane were killed, and dozens of passengers on the plane were injured when the jet slammed into an emergency fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport at 11:45 p.m. on March 22. There are questions about how many controllers were in the tower at the time of the crash. LaGuardia has only 30 on rotating shifts when it should have 60.
The truck was speeding towards another jet in trouble on the ground. The truck apparently received permission to cross the runway, but an air traffic controller in the LaGuardia tower saw the Air Canada plane coming in and yelled for the truck to stop—too late.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, the Air Line Pilots Association, and New York officials all dispatched investigation teams to the airport, which was closed until at least 2 p.m. Eastern Time on March 23.
That forced the grounding or diversion of at least 900 other flights nationwide, including 13 planes en route to LaGuardia scheduled to land just after the Air Canada Express flight did.
The two Air Canada Express pilots were killed, and 41 injured passengers were taken to hospitals. Nine remain hospitalized, while the other 32 were treated and released. Two injured firefighters aboard the truck were also taken to hospitals. The plane had 72 passengers and four crew members.
Passengers intending to fly out of LaGuardia, a Delta hub, were told to check with their air carriers and rebook. New York City officials warned commuters to avoid the area around LaGuardia—which is hemmed in by Grand Central Parkway and Flushing Bay and its seawall—due to road closures.
The official probers have yet to explain why the crash occurred or what the fire truck was doing on the runway when it and the plane crashed.
But an on-the-ground listener to airport tower transmissions, Jin Yu Young, reported the fire truck was speeding towards a United Airlines 787 awaiting takeoff. Its pilot had reported a suspicious odor in the back of the plane. The United plane had turned around and sought a vacant airport gate, but all gates were full.
“A recording of air traffic control communications at LaGuardia, posted on the LiveATC website, appears to capture the moments leading up to the collision,” Young tweeted on X.
“Truck 1 and company, cross 4 at Delta,” the recording says.
“The truck receives permission to cross a runway before an air traffic controller tells it several times to stop. ‘Stop truck 1, stop!’ the controller yells.” But it was too late.
“After about two minutes, another voice says, ‘LaGuardia Airport is closed at this time,’” Young reported. The plane had hit the truck, and the plane’s nose was sheared off.
None of the responses to the crash, at least immediately, speculated on any relationship between the crash and the partial government shutdown, which doesn’t affect the Transportation Department or the FAA.
The airport has only half the number of controllers it should have. So one unanswered question is how many controllers were actually in the LaGuardia tower near midnight on March 22. The FAA is short several thousand controllers nationwide. Recent reports show 30 controllers are on rotating shifts at LaGuardia, but the airport is supposed to have 60.
The shortage forces “mandatory overtime and increases safety risks,” reports say.
The shortage is nationwide, but especially acute at big, heavily used, and congested airports, such as the three New York City airports, Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth. It’s also a problem at hemmed-in airports, such as LaGuardia, Chicago Midway, and Washington National.
The crash not only closed LaGuardia but also snarled New York City traffic due to road closures and investigations. The airport is hemmed in by two expressways and Flushing Bay and its seawall.
Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, the world’s largest airline pilot union, said in a statement that the pilots who died in the collision “dedicated their careers to the safe transport of passengers. ALPA’s accident investigation team is traveling to assist the National Transportation Safety Board.”
“Our hearts are with the crew and passengers of Jazz Air Canada Flight 8646 and their friends and family,” the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA tweeted.
“The CRJ900 airplane collided with a fire truck on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in New York, NY, at 11:40 p.m. last night. 72 passengers and four crew were on board the plane. Reports state 41 have been taken to the hospital, and 2 are confirmed deceased.
“We are offering love and support to our union siblings, Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. LGA (LaGuardia) is closed until later this afternoon, March 23, 2026.
“AFA EAP (employee assistance) is available to any crew or family in need at 800-424-2406.”
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTOR
