A routine late-night arrival at LaGuardia Airport turned into a major aviation emergency Sunday night when an Air Canada regional jet collided with an airport fire-rescue vehicle during landing, leaving two pilots dead, dozens injured, and airport operations temporarily halted. Officials said the aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ900 operating as Air Canada Express Flight 8646 from Montreal, struck a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4 shortly before 11:40 p.m. The jet, operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members when the collision occurred during its final landing roll. Early flight data indicates the aircraft was moving at high speed at impact, with investigators now examining the exact velocity and braking sequence in the final seconds before contact.
The force of the crash caused catastrophic damage to the front section of the aircraft. Authorities confirmed that both pilots died from the impact, while at least 41 other people were taken to hospitals, including passengers, crew members, and two Port Authority officers riding inside the emergency truck. Most of those injured were later treated and released, though several remained hospitalized with serious injuries.
Among the injured were two members of the Port Authority Police Department assigned to airport firefighting operations. Officials said both survived but suffered significant injuries, including broken bones, after the truck was struck while crossing the active runway. Their vehicle had reportedly been responding to a separate emergency involving another aircraft when the collision occurred.
Preliminary information suggests air traffic control had authorized the fire truck to cross the runway moments before the arriving aircraft touched down. Audio recordings from the control tower reportedly captured urgent last-second instructions ordering the vehicle to stop, but there was not enough time to prevent the crash. That sequence has now become a central focus of the federal investigation.
Weather conditions at the time were reported as poor, with rain and reduced visibility across the New York area. Aviation experts say those conditions may have complicated runway coordination and reduced reaction time for both ground crews and flight personnel.
In the immediate aftermath, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop, shutting down arrivals and departures at LaGuardia while emergency crews secured the runway. Flights were diverted to nearby airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a full investigation, focusing on runway clearance procedures, tower communications, and whether operational pressure contributed to the fatal breakdown in coordination. For now, investigators are working to reconstruct the final moments that turned a routine landing into one of the most serious runway accidents in recent airport history. ✈️🚨
