Air Canada Express Jet Collides with Fire Truck at LaGuardia, Pilots Killed

A regional jet operated by Air Canada Express collided with a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle on a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night. The incident resulted in the deaths of the aircraft's two pilots and caused injuries to dozens of other individuals, prompting a significant NTSB investigation. The airport experienced significant operational disruptions.

Incident Overview

The collision occurred at approximately 11:37 p.m. ET on Sunday, involving Air Canada Express Flight AC8646. The aircraft, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was landing at LaGuardia after originating from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

The flight was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Preliminary data from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggests the aircraft was traveling between 93 and 105 mph (150-169 km/h) at the time of impact. Images from the scene showed significant damage to the front section of the aircraft and the emergency vehicle lying on its side.

Casualties and Injuries

The pilot and co-pilot of the Air Canada Express jet were killed in the collision. They were identified as Antoine Forest (30), who joined Jazz Aviation in 2022, and his co-pilot.

A total of 41 individuals sustained injuries and were transported to hospitals: 39 from the aircraft and two Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting officers from the truck. Of these, 32 individuals were subsequently released, while nine remained hospitalized with serious injuries. The two Port Authority officers involved sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were reported to be in stable condition.

One flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, was ejected from the aircraft with her seat during the impact and found alive more than 100 meters away from the plane. She sustained multiple bone fractures and underwent surgery for a broken leg.

Circumstances Leading to Collision

The Port Authority fire truck was on the runway with clearance from air traffic control (ATC), responding to a separate incident. This involved United Airlines Flight 2384, whose pilots had aborted takeoff due to an anti-ice warning light and an odor in the cabin, declaring an emergency and requesting firefighter assistance.

Air traffic control audio recordings indicate that a controller initially granted clearance for the fire truck to cross Runway 4. However, just prior to the collision, the controller issued urgent commands for the truck to stop, repeatedly stating "Stop, stop, stop, truck 1 stop, truck 1, stop."

"I messed up," a controller was recorded stating approximately 20 minutes after the collision, adding, "We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up."

Surveillance footage indicated the plane struck the fire truck, causing significant damage and scattering debris. While other emergency vehicles reportedly halted before the runway, the fire truck proceeded, leading to the collision.

Airport Operations and Impact

LaGuardia Airport was closed following the incident, with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issuing a ground stop. This led to approximately 600 flight cancellations and diversions of inbound aircraft to other airports, including Newark Liberty International Airport and JFK Airport.

The airport gradually reopened later on Monday, with one runway (Runway 13/31) resuming operations by midafternoon. However, Runway 4/22, the site of the collision, remained closed due to wreckage and debris. It was not expected to reopen until Friday, requiring several days for clearance.

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the collision, with assistance from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). An NTSB go-team was dispatched to the site, facing challenges in assembling due to widespread air travel disruptions.

Key aspects of the investigation include:

Air Traffic Control Communications: Analysis of recorded transmissions, including the controller's initial clearance and subsequent urgent stop commands.
Surface Detection System: The Airport Surface Detection System, Model X (ASDE-X), designed to track surface movement and alert controllers, did not generate an alert prior to the collision. The NTSB attributed this to "the close proximity of vehicles merging and unmerging near the runway, resulting in the inability to create a track of high confidence."
Vehicle Transponders: The involved fire truck lacked a transponder, a device that identifies a vehicle and its location. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy confirmed that none of the fire trucks at LaGuardia are equipped with transponders.
ATC Staffing and Workload: Investigators are examining staffing levels in the control tower. Two controllers were present: a local controller managing active runways and airspace, and a controller in charge overseeing safety and also acting as the clearance delivery controller. The NTSB has previously raised concerns about standard staffing practices at LaGuardia's busy airspace, particularly regarding the workload during midnight shifts, though no direct link to fatigue in this incident has been established.
Black Boxes: The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been retrieved and sent to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C., for analysis.
Procedural Compliance: Investigating whether firefighters heard the stop directives and if pilots visually identified the truck or experienced confusion in the cockpit.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the NTSB would be provided with information regarding ATC staffing levels.

NTSB officials emphasized that major accidents are typically the result of multiple layers of defense failing, rather than a single point of failure.