Air Canada LaGuardia Crash: Latest Updates & Aftermath
Two pilots died Sunday night after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, officials confirmed. The crash, which occurred shortly before midnight, resulted in 41 people being transported to local hospitals, though 32 have since been discharged, according to Port Authority executive director Kathryn Garcia.
The incident involved Air Canada Flight 8646, a CRJ 900 model arriving from Montreal and a firefighting vehicle responding to a separate, unrelated incident involving a United Airlines aircraft that reported an “issue with odour,” Garcia stated during a news briefing. Video footage circulating on social media depicts the Air Canada plane with its nose significantly upturned.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the collision as “tragic” and stated that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the event. “I am grateful to our first responders, whose swift actions saved lives,” Mamdani said.
Audio from the LaGuardia air traffic control tower captured a staff member urgently instructing, “‘Truck One, stop, stop, stop!’” in the moments leading up to the impact. Eyewitness Leo Medina, who was approximately 100 meters from the scene, told the BBC, “It was like the plane got cut in half.”
LaGuardia Airport remained closed as of Monday morning and is expected to remain so until at least 2:00 PM local time, according to Garcia. Air Canada President and CEO addressed the incident in a social media video, but details of the statement were not immediately available. A hotline has been established by Air Canada for friends and family concerned about passengers, with the number 1-800-961-7099.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and federal officials are scheduled to provide an update on the situation later Monday, according to a live video update posted on ABC7NY’s Facebook page. U.S. Transport Secretary Duffy declined to comment on staffing levels at LaGuardia Airport when questioned by reporters.