Air Canada Flight 8646 Collides with Fire Truck at LaGuardia Airport, Resulting in Two Fatalities
An Air Canada Express flight collided with an airport fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, leading to the deaths of both pilots and injuries to 41 individuals.
An Air Canada Express flight collided with an airport fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, leading to the deaths of both pilots and injuries to 41 individuals.
On March 22, 2026, Air Canada Express Flight 8646, operated by Jazz Aviation, was landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport when it collided with a Port Authority fire truck crossing the runway. The impact destroyed the aircraft's cockpit and forward galley, resulting in the deaths of both pilots.
The collision led to 41 hospitalizations, including 39 individuals from the aircraft and two from the fire truck.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered and are undergoing analysis.
Air Canada is working to reunite passengers with personal belongings left behind during the emergency evacuation, a process expected to take several days.
The NTSB is also investigating why the fire truck lacked a transponder that would have made it more detectable to safety systems.
Audio recordings captured a controller clearing the fire truck to cross the runway while the jet was 100 feet above the ground, then frantically shouting "Stop, stop, stop, Truck One!" seconds before impact.
Under U.S. law, the controller responsible is unlikely to face legal or criminal consequences for an honest error, even with the fatal outcome of the mistake. Instead, the investigations' recommendations will focus on systemic failure and corrections that the government should make to prevent future mishaps.