The skies over New York were meant to be routine Sunday night. Flight 8646 from Montreal carried passengers who likely packed for business meetings or weekend visits. Instead, a fire truck positioned on the runway turned an ordinary landing into a disaster that claimed two lives and left dozens injured. The pilots, both based in Canada, died when their Bombardier CRJ900 collided with the emergency vehicle moments after touchdown at LaGuardia Airport.
All 72 passengers and four crew members have been accounted for, according to Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Forty-one people were transported to two hospitals in Queens. By Monday morning, nine remained in care, some in serious condition. The airport was closed until at least 2 p.m. Monday to allow investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board to examine the wreckage.
The fire truck had been responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight. That aircraft had aborted takeoff due to an odour issue that made some flight attendants feel ill, according to air traffic control recordings reviewed by The Canadian Press. While emergency crews mobilized to address that situation, the Air Canada Express flight operated by Jazz Aviation was cleared to land on the same runway.
Air traffic control recordings captured the confusion in real time. A controller gave clearance to a vehicle identified as Truck 1 to cross part of the tarmac. Moments later, urgency crept into the transmission. “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the voice said. The controller then scrambled to divert incoming aircraft from landing. By then, it was too late.
One staffer tried to console another after watching the collision unfold. “That wasn’t good to watch,” one said. “I know. I tried to reach out,” the second person replied. “We were dealing with an emergency earlier.” The first voice responded, “You did the best you could.”
Aviation analyst Phyl Durdey told CTV Your Morning that the crash likely stemmed from a communications breakdown on the ground. Aircraft typically operate on a tower frequency, while emergency vehicles use ground or apron channels. If two different controllers issued instructions without coordinating, the result could be catastrophic. “One controller gave the fire truck permission to cross the runway, but the Air Canada aircraft was probably cleared to land,” Durdey said. “They should not have been on the runway at the same time.”
By the time the pilots realized the truck was in their path, stopping or maneuvering around it was impossible. The aircraft was already committed to landing. “This was a really bad tragedy, and it’s a big human error,” Durdey said.
John Cox, an aviation analyst and former commercial pilot, explained that investigators will examine air traffic control tapes, the flight data recorder, and the cockpit voice recorder. They will also interview the fire truck driver and other crew members aboard the vehicle. “It is a very methodical process to understand how this collision occurred,” Cox told CP24.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada announced it is sending a team to New York to support the NTSB investigation. The TSB is an independent agency focused solely on advancing transportation safety, not assigning fault or determining liability. Its role is to uncover what happened and prevent future occurrences.
Photos from the scene show the jetliner’s crumpled nose pointed skyward. The cockpit was peeled back to the first passenger window, exposing a shredded tangle of wires and flight controls. Red rescue vehicles surrounded the aircraft under the glare of portable floodlights.
Jack Cabot, a passenger on the flight, told CNN he felt the plane “immediately hit something” after landing. “And it was just chaos in there,” he said. “About five seconds later, we had come to a stop, but in that short period, I mean, everyone was hunkered down and everyone was screaming.”
Passengers received no directions from the cockpit, which had been largely destroyed. “Somebody said, ‘Let’s get to the emergency exit and get the door and let’s all jump out,’ and that’s exactly what we did,” Cabot said.
The New York Post reported that a female flight attendant survived after being ejected through the front of the aircraft while still in her seat. Sources told the newspaper that Port Authority police helped rescue her and transported her to hospital.
Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed condolences to the victims and their families. “Canadian officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts on the ground as the investigation continues,” he said. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those impacted.”
Quebec Premier François Legault and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada also shared their sympathies on social media. “I was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic accident at LaGuardia Airport in New York involving an Air Canada flight from Montreal,” Legault wrote. Martinez Ferrada added that U.S. and Canadian authorities are monitoring the situation very closely.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was “saddened to hear the awful news.” He added, “My thoughts are with the families of the two pilots who lost their lives, and hope for the many injured in hospital to make a full recovery.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed that Canada’s consular officials are in contact with local authorities and providing assistance to passengers. An additional consular team is en route to New York. “I reiterate my profound and utter sadness at the loss of two pilots during this tragic accident,” Anand said. “I am thinking of their families and friends, as well as the passengers on board, including those who were injured.”
Air Canada released a statement expressing condolences to the families of the two pilots killed in the crash. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of two Jazz employees, and our deepest condolences go out to the entire Jazz community and their families,” the airline said. It added that Air Canada and Jazz Aviation are cooperating with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the NTSB.
The airline set up a helpline for families and friends of passengers. Those searching for information about loved ones on flight AC8646 can call 1-800-961-7099.
All flights to and from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport to LaGuardia have been cancelled until 2 p.m. EDT. Aéroports de Montréal confirmed that the airport is otherwise fully operational. At Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, 26 flights had already been cancelled as a result of the LaGuardia closure. Jake Keating, a spokesperson for Pearson, said there are typically about 45 flights between Pearson and LaGuardia each day.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to the crash site. “We will continue to work closely with the NTSB and share additional updates as soon as possible,” Duffy wrote.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city is in close contact with federal, state, and local partners. “I am grateful to our first responders, whose swift actions saved lives,” he wrote. “The Port Authority advises travellers to check with their airline for the latest flight information before coming to the airport.”
Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, called the loss of two crew members a “profound tragedy.” He said, “These pilots dedicated their careers to the safe transport of passengers, and we are all thinking of their families, loved ones, and colleagues at Jazz Aviation during this devastating time.” The association’s investigation team is travelling to LaGuardia to assist the NTSB.
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon wrote that Canada is working closely with U.S. authorities as they investigate. “Aviation safety remains our highest priority,” he said.
LaGuardia was the 19th busiest airport in 2024 out of more than 500 U.S. airports. More than 16.7 million passengers boarded there, according to a 2025 Federal Aviation Administration database.
The Bombardier CRJ900 is a regional jet built for short- to medium-haul routes. It handles between 50 and 100 passengers. It’s a narrow-body aircraft with two engines mounted at the rear of the fuselage and a tail shaped like the letter T.
U.S. air traffic controllers are not currently impacted by the partial government shutdown that has caused long delays at airport security checkpoints in recent days. But they have been affected by past shutdowns. In the fall, a previous government shutdown led to flight reductions across 40 high-volume airports in November. The FAA said air traffic controllers were exhibiting signs of strain after weeks without pay.
Two Port Authority employees travelling in the fire truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Garcia said.
The investigation will take time. The methodical process aims to uncover not just what happened, but why it happened and how similar tragedies can be prevented. For now, families grieve, passengers recover, and the aviation community mourns two pilots who dedicated their careers to safely transporting people across the skies.
