LaGuardia Airport Crash: Transcript Reveals Controller Error in Air Canada Express Collision

A traffic controller at LaGuardia Airport cleared a firetruck to cross a runway moments before it collided with an Air Canada Express plane on Sunday night, according to audio recordings released Monday. The collision, which occurred at approximately 11:40 p.m., resulted in the deaths of the two pilots and left 41 people injured.

The Air Canada Express CRJ-900, operated by Jazz Aviation, was landing at LaGuardia after a flight from Montreal, carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. The Port Authority fire truck was responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight that had reported an odor on board, according to authorities.

The released transcript of the exchange between the controller and the truck driver reveals the sequence of events. The controller initially authorized the truck to cross Runway 4. As the Air Canada plane approached, the controller urgently attempted to halt the vehicle, repeatedly shouting, “Truck One, stop, stop, stop!” before an alarm sounded.

“Jazz 646. Jazz 646, I see you collided with vehicle. (Inaudible) Hold position. I realize he can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now,” the controller stated immediately after the impact.

Following the collision, a second controller is heard saying, “Man, that wasn’t good to watch.” The first controller responded, “Yeah, I know. I was here. I tried to reach out to my staff. And we were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up.” The second controller replied, “No man, you did the best you could.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder from the aircraft, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy announced Monday evening. An investigation is underway to determine the precise cause of the collision, with a focus on air traffic control coordination, Homendy stated. The runway where the crash took place will remain closed for “some time” due to debris and hazardous materials.

Radio-Canada sources have identified the pilots who died in the crash as Antoine Forest, 30, of Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, who joined Jazz Aviation in 2022 and Mackenzie Gunther. The Federal Aviation Administration described the pilots as “two young men at the start of their careers.”

Nine people remain hospitalized following the collision, according to officials. LaGuardia Airport reopened at 2 p.m. On Monday, but passengers were advised to expect delays and cancellations. The Air Canada flight number was AC8646.

The NTSB is expected to provide further details on the investigation tomorrow.