“Stop, stop, stop” is what the air traffic controller told the truck driver seconds before it allegedly crashed into an Air Canada Express plane at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Monday, reportedly killing the pilot and the co-pilot. In an audio clip going viral on social media, an official was heard saying that “Truck 1 and company LaGuardia Tower are requesting to cross 4 at Delta”.
“Truck 1 and company crossing 4,” the official says.
The traffic controller then asks, “Frontier 4195, just stop there, please”.
An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York
Photo Credit: AFP
“Stop, stop, stop, stop, Truck 1, stop, stop, stop. Stop, Truck 1, stop,” the controller can be heard shouting in panic.
#UPDATE: Listen as you can hear panic as air traffic controllers try to divert everyone away from LaGuardia after a jet had collided with a fire truck numerous injuries and now Fatalities are being reported pic.twitter.com/sU7OjwB2ol
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 23, 2026
The crash then likely took place seconds later.
The traffic controller then asks “Delta 2603” to “go around”.
“Jet 646. Jet 646, I see you collide with a vehicle. Hold position; I know you can’t move. The vehicle is responding to you now,” the controller was apparently heard telling the pilot of the Air Canada plane in the audio clip.
NDTV could not immediately verify the audio.
The truck, a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, was responding to a “separate incident”, the airport said on X.
According to reports, it was trying to cross the runway to get to a United Airlines flight. The United 737 Max declared an emergency on the ground and reportedly requested fire trucks due to a strange odour that was making the flight attendants ill.
4 Injured In Air Canada Express Plane-Truck Crash
The Air Canada Express Flight 8646, operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner, was coming from Montreal and collided with the truck on runway four.
The CRJ-900 plane was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. The pilot and copilot, who were “badly injured”, died during the treatment.
Air Canada Express jet that collided with a ground vehicle at New York’s La Guardia Airport
Photo Credit: REUTERS
A sergeant and an officer had broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital, as per reports.
Air Canada Express Plane Crashed Into Truck At 39 kmph
The plane struck the vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kmph) at 11:40 pm (local time), according to flight tracking website Flightradar24
Multiple images and videos on social media showed the jet with severe damage to the front of the aircraft on a wet runway.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop for all planes at the airport until 0530 GMT.
New York’s emergency management authority warned people to “expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays & emergency personnel” near the major transport hub in the borough of Queens.
“Use alternate routes,” it said on X.
LaGuardia Airport had already been suffering from flight disruptions due to poor weather.