A serious aviation accident occurred on Sunday evening at New York’s LaGuardia Airport when an Air Canada Express regional aircraft, operating flight AC8646 from Montréal, collided with a fire truck on the runway during landing. Both pilots lost their lives in the accident, while dozens of passengers were injured, sending shockwaves through the aviation community on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to an official statement from Air Canada, the Mitsubishi CRJ-900 aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation, landed at LaGuardia at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time. A total of 72 passengers and four crew members were on board, though the final number remains subject to confirmation. Emergency services responded immediately, and injured passengers were transported to nearby hospitals.
The aircraft involved in the accident was a CRJ-900LR, registration C-GNJZ, and was 20.5 years old at the time of the incident. It carried serial number 15052 and was delivered to Jazz Aviation in September 2005, spending its entire operational life flying for Air Canada.
The Port Authority of New York confirmed that both the Captain and the First Officer, employees of Jazz Aviation, were killed in the accident. In its statement, Air Canada expressed deep sorrow over the loss of its crew members and extended condolences to their families and colleagues. At this stage, the airline has not been able to confirm the final number of injured passengers or any additional fatalities.
According to available information, the accident occurred during the final phase of landing at approximately 30 knots, when the aircraft struck a fire truck on the runway. The vehicle had reportedly been dispatched in response to a separate incident involving another aircraft, where an unusual odor had been reported in the cabin.
The accident led to a complete closure of LaGuardia Airport, causing significant disruptions to air traffic across the region. Additional complications were reported at nearby airports, including a temporary suspension of operations at Newark.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. While the official investigation will determine the exact cause of the accident, preliminary information from publicly available air traffic control transcripts points to a potential key factor— a tower controller reportedly cleared the fire vehicle to enter the runway at the same time the aircraft was in the landing phase. The clearance was later revoked, but apparently too late to prevent the collision.
Air traffic control audio recordings further suggest confusion in communications, with one controller at one point acknowledging an error. The analysis of these communications, together with data from the flight recorders and operational procedures, will be crucial in understanding how this tragedy occurred.
Air Canada and Jazz Aviation stated they will continue to provide regular updates as more information becomes available, while dedicated support lines have been established for the families of passengers and crew members.
