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Horrifying new video captures the moment an Air Canada plane collided on the runway with a fire truck at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, killing two pilots, injuring dozens of passengers and causing travel chaos.
Footage shows the Air Canada Express plane slamming into a Port Authority fire truck on the runway, where the emergency vehicle was responding to an issue on another plane late Sunday night.
The pilot and copilot were killed after landing in New York from Montreal with 72 passengers and four crew onboard. The crash destroyed much of the front cockpit area of the plane, which was operated by Jazz Aviation.
An audio recording revealed air traffic controllers were in a panic moments before the deadly collision. “Stop, stop, stop!” an air traffic control dispatcher is heard saying. A voice later adds: “I messed up.”
About 40 passengers and crew members were taken to nearby hospitals, some with serious injuries. Most had been released Monday morning, authorities said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the deadly collision served as a reminder to “wear your seatbelts.”
LaGuardia reopened one runway at 2 p.m. Eastern Monday, though officials warned of continued delays and cancellations as a result of the crash.
The delays exacerbate ongoing extended wait times at U.S. airports, which have resulted from the partial government shutdown and a shortage of TSA agents.
Recap: Air Canada passenger plane in deadly collision with fire struck at LaGuardia Airport
If you’re just joining us, here’s everything you need to know:
An Air Canada passenger plane from Montreal with 76 people on board collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, New York, Sunday night The pilot and co-pilot of the plane, arriving from Montreal, were killed41 passengers were taken to hospital. Most had been released by Monday morning, authorities saidLaGuardia remained closed until 2 p.m. ET Monday as more than 500 flights were cancelledRead more
Joe Sommerlad23 March 2026 10:48
More updates expected tomorrow on LaGuardia crash as NTSB sifts through ‘tremendous’ debris field
(NTSB)
Federal investigators have conducted a walking inspection of the LaGuardia crash site, but officials offered few concrete updates about what caused Sunday’s late-night crash between an incoming Air Canada jet and a runway fire truck.
“There is a tremendous, tremendous amount of debris,” National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Monday.
The official said that investigators are still in the info-gathering stage and would wait until they could cross-reference data before sharing more with the public.
“We have a lot of data right now, a lot of information right now, including information on tower staffing,” she said. “But the NTSB deals in facts. We don’t speculate. We don’t take one person at their word. We verify that information carefully before we provide it, so that is something that we still have to do.”
The data-gathering process on Monday included investigators cutting a hole in the crashed jet to access onboard flight data recorders, which have since been driven to the agency’s labs in Washington, D.C.
Agency staffers continue to inspect the site, and will take detailed photographs of the debris-strewn runway before collecting the scattered materials for analysis.
Homendy declined to comment specifically on what was being done with the air traffic controllers on shift during the crash, but said they would be typically removed from duty and interviewed at a suitable time.
“Certainly it’s pretty traumatic for that air traffic controller as well,” she said.
“It’s going to be days” before the runway where the crash took place reopens, Homendy said.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 23:15
Delays at U.S. airports impacted NTSB response to LaGuardia crash
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
A shortage of TSA officers and wider issues with delays at U.S. airports because of the ongoing partial government shutdown slowed the ability of the National Transportation Safety Board to respond to the LaGuardia crash scene, according to officials.
Investigators began arriving at the New York City airport around 3:10 a.m. on Monday morning, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters, but the delays kept others from arriving quickly.
“It’s been a really big challenge to get the entire team here, and they’re still arriving as we speak,” Homendy said.
One staffer was delayed hours at the Houston airport, she said.
Investigators are slated to continue arriving into New York through about 1 a.m. on Tuesday.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 22:59
Video captures moment of LaGuardia runway collision
The commercial jet struck the Port Authority fire truck on the runway, where it was attending to another issue on a different plane which had “requested support.”
The pilot and copilot were killed, while about 40 passengers and crew members were taken to nearby hospitals, some with serious injuries.
A flight attendant was found alive on the ground by rescuers, still strapped to her seat which had fallen through a hole in the floor of the plane. Her injuries are reportedly not life threatening.
Horror moment plane hits fire truck at LaGuardia airport killing both pilots
Footage shows the moment an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Sunday (22 March). The commercial jet struck the Port Authority fire truck on the runway, where it was attending to another issue on a different plane which had “requested support”. The pilot and copilot were killed, whilst about 40 passengers and crew members were taken to nearby hospitals, some with serious injuries. A flight attendant was found alive on the ground by rescuers, still strapped to her seat which had fallen through a hole in the floor of the plane. Her injuries are reportedly not life threatening.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 22:50
NTSB provides updates on LaGuardia crash
Federal transit investigators are updating the public about the LaGuardia crash.
You can see the remarks live here.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 22:41
What we know about the victims of the LaGuardia crash
Two pilots, including 30-year-old Antoine Forest, were killed and 41 people were injured late Sunday night when an Air Canada Express flight collided with a Port Authority fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
The Bombardier CRJ-900, operated by Jazz Aviation, was arriving from Montreal with 76 passengers and crew when it struck the emergency vehicle on Runway 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m. The truck had been cleared to cross the active runway while responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight.
While federal authorities have not yet released the names of the flight crew, family members have begun identifying the victims. Both the pilot and co-pilot were based in Canada, according to Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are conducting a joint investigation into the collision. The airport officially reopened at 2 p.m., though officials cautioned that only one of its two runways is currently operational.
Jasmine Fernández has the story.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 22:27
Average delays into LaGuardia approach 3 hours
Travelers heading into New York City’s LaGuardia airport continue to face heavy delays, after a plane crashed on the runway there late Sunday night.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 22:10
LaGuardia crash comes at sensitive time for U.S. air travel
Sunday’s late-night crash at LaGuardia comes at a time of considerable strain on the U.S. air travel system.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the airport-focused Transportation Security Administration, has gone without funding for weeks amid an ongoing partial government shutdown.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 21:55
Port Authority IDs individuals in truck that collided with plane
Two people who were in a fire truck that collided with an incoming Air Canada jet at LaGuardia on Sunday have been identified.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees New York City-area airports, named the individuals as Sgt. Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez.
“Both were taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital,” Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said during a press conference on Monday. “We expect one to be released later this afternoon, and the other to be kept overnight for observation.”
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 21:35
‘Hero’ pilots died saving passengers, survivor of LaGuardia crash says
“I wish I could tell their families how thankful I am. They are heroes.”
That’s how one survivor of last night’s runway crash at LaGuardia is processing the collision, which killed both pilots and injured scores of passengers.
Shweta Sharma, Paul Farrell, and Jasmine Fernández have the latest details on the incident.
Josh Marcus23 March 2026 21:19