Air Canada LaGuardia Crash Kills Two Pilots, Injures Dozens as Duffy Cites Controller Shortages and NTSB Probes Collision With Runway Fire Truck
An Air Canada Express CRJ‑900 operating as Flight 8646 from Montréal to LaGuardia collided around 11:45 p.m. Sunday with a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting truck that was crossing the runway to respond to a separate odor report, killing both the pilot and copilot and sending roughly 40–42 passengers, crew and two firefighters to hospitals, some with serious injuries. Air‑traffic‑control audio released publicly captures controllers repeatedly ordering the vehicle to "stop" and later saying "I messed up"; the NTSB has opened a probe, LaGuardia was closed into Monday to facilitate the investigation, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the system is "well‑staffed" but still faces controller shortages.
📌 Key Facts
- Two people were killed: the pilot and copilot of Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a CRJ‑900 operated by Jazz Aviation; Port Authority officials said both pilots were based in Canada.
- The collision occurred around 11:40–11:47 p.m. ET on March 22, 2026, when the Air Canada regional jet struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) truck that was on the runway responding to a separate odor/‘issue with odor’ incident aboard another plane.
- Air‑traffic‑control audio (LiveATC) shows a controller initially clearing the fire truck to cross, then repeatedly ordering 'Truck 1' to 'stop, stop' and later saying 'I messed up'; reports indicate both the aircraft and the emergency vehicle had been cleared to use the runway, raising questions about procedural or systemic failures.
- There were about 72 passengers and four crew aboard; roughly 40–41 passengers and crew were taken to hospitals (most have since been released, though some remain hospitalized with serious injuries), and two Port Authority ARFF personnel in the truck were hospitalized with injuries described as stable/non‑life‑threatening.
- Passengers described a violent landing and abrupt braking; flight tracking data puts the jet’s ground speed at impact at about 24 mph, and at least one passenger said the captain braked hard in a move some called a likely sacrifice to reduce harm to others.
- The FAA issued a ground stop, LaGuardia was closed overnight and remained shut until at least 2 p.m. Monday for an NTSB‑led investigation (hundreds of flights were diverted or canceled, with FlightAware reporting at least 573 cancellations), and the airport reopened Monday afternoon.
- Federal, state and Port Authority officials are coordinating with the NTSB and Canadian authorities on the investigation; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said LaGuardia is 'well‑staffed' but faces air‑traffic‑controller shortages, and analysts have linked the collision to broader concerns about controller workload and recent safety incidents.
- Local and national leaders expressed condolences and confirmed coordination among U.S. and Canadian investigators; Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia provided on‑record updates about the fatalities, injuries and emergency response protocols.
📊 Relevant Data
As of 2023, the workforce of transportation security screeners (TSA officers) is approximately 43.3% White, with other races making up the remainder, compared to the US population which is about 59% White, 19% Hispanic, and 13% Black, indicating underrepresentation of White individuals and overrepresentation of other groups in the profession.
Transportation security screeners - Data USA — Data USA
The 2026 partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is due to a congressional deadlock where Democrats have blocked funding bills that include allocations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without accompanying reforms to immigration enforcement practices.
US Senate blocks Homeland Security funding, raising likelihood of shutdown — Reuters
During the 2026 DHS shutdown, over 300 TSA officers have quit, and call-out rates have spiked to as high as 55% at some airports, doubling the normal rate and leading to significant staffing shortages and travel delays.
Hundreds of TSA Agents Are Quitting Over the Government Shutdown — Business Insider
📰 Source Timeline (12)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 23, 2026
8:07 PM
WATCH: Duffy and FAA chief hold news briefing on deadly collision at LaGuardia Airport
New information:
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a Monday briefing that LaGuardia is 'well-staffed' but still faces 'shortages' of air traffic controllers.
- Officials reiterated that most of the roughly 40 passengers and crew taken to hospitals after the crash have since been released from treatment.
- Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said the two Port Authority employees in the fire truck were injured but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
6:57 PM
What to know about the collision between a plane and fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport
New information:
- Crash time specified as around 11:45 p.m. Sunday.
- Fire truck was crossing the runway to respond to a separate incident involving a concerning odor aboard another plane.
- Article notes tower audio shows the truck was initially cleared to cross the runway before a controller tried to cancel and repeatedly ordered it to stop, while diverting incoming aircraft.
- Confirms roughly 70 passengers and four crew were aboard the Jazz Aviation-operated Air Canada regional jet from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
- States that LaGuardia was shut down after the crash and reopened Monday afternoon.
- Clarifies that the two fatalities (pilot and copilot) were based in Canada; about 40 passengers and crew were taken to hospitals, most released by Monday morning.
- Adds context that the collision occurs amid a more than month-long partial DHS shutdown that is already causing long TSA lines, worker resignations and traveler frustration, though it notes it's too early to say whether the shutdown played a role.
4:59 PM
Air Canada passenger says pilot 'did the best thing he could,' describes deadly impact
New information:
- Eyewitness passenger Jack Cabot describes the landing as 'really hard' followed by an 'absolute slam,' with the aircraft veering left and right and 'chaos' in the cabin.
- Cabot says the pilot 'did the best thing he could' by braking hard to stop the plane, adding that the captain 'knew it was going to be at the cost of his own life.'
- The article confirms more than 39 passengers and crew plus at least two Port Authority firefighters were hospitalized, some seriously, and notes many passengers were bleeding from the head.
- New air‑traffic‑control audio includes a controller telling another pilot after the crash, 'I messed up,' in addition to repeated frantic orders for 'Truck 1' to 'stop, stop, stop.'
- President Donald Trump commented that 'they made a mistake' about the collision, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadian officials are working closely with U.S. counterparts to investigate the 'deeply saddening' incident.
2:27 PM
Welcome to the spring of travel hell
New information:
- Axios connects the LaGuardia runway collision to broader worries about air traffic controller workload and staffing, framing it as part of a pattern that also includes a fatal midair collision near Washington, D.C., a year earlier.
- The piece notes that both the aircraft and the emergency vehicle were cleared to use the runway, underscoring potential systemic or procedural failures rather than a simple incursion.
1:55 PM
LaGuardia Airport collision between jet and fire truck kills pilot and copilot
New information:
- Confirms the dead are the pilot and copilot, both based out of Canada, per Port Authority executive director Kathryn Garcia.
- Specifies there were 72 passengers and four crew members aboard the Bombardier CRJ operated by Jazz Aviation for Air Canada.
- Clarifies that approximately 40 passengers and crew were taken to hospitals and that most have since been released.
- Adds that the fire truck was crossing the runway to respond to a separate United Airlines flight that had reported an 'issue with odor.'
- Reports that Newark Liberty International Airport operations were temporarily halted Monday morning after air-traffic controllers evacuated the tower due to a burning smell from an elevator, per FAA.
- Notes that LaGuardia will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. Monday to facilitate the NTSB investigation.
- Includes a public statement from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul expressing condolences and noting 'two pilots were killed and dozens injured.'
- Clarifies that air-traffic controllers themselves are not affected by the partial DHS shutdown, even as TSA staffing and funding issues drive long security lines.
1:02 PM
2 pilots killed after plane, firetruck collide at New York's LaGuardia Airport
New information:
- Confirms that the two people killed in the collision were the pilots of the Air Canada Express plane.
- Restates that dozens of people were injured in the incident.
- Reiterates that LaGuardia Airport is closed following the collision between the Air Canada Express plane and an emergency vehicle on the runway.
12:47 PM
2 pilots killed after plane collides with truck at LaGuardia Airport in NYC, officials say
New information:
- CBS segment confirms the collision was between an Air Canada Express plane and a fire-and-rescue vehicle on a LaGuardia runway, consistent with prior reports.
- Includes on-air analysis from former NTSB air safety investigator Gregory Feith about likely investigative focus and safety questions (procedures for emergency vehicle access to active runways, ATC coordination, etc.), though no concrete new facts about casualties or cause are provided in the clip text.
- Reiterates that officials have confirmed the deaths of both pilots in the collision.
10:45 AM
LaGuardia plane crash air traffic control audio reveals frantic call for truck to 'stop, stop, stop'
New information:
- Air traffic control audio released via LiveATC captures a controller repeatedly ordering 'Truck 1' to 'stop, stop' moments before the collision and then frantically diverting an incoming aircraft from landing.
- Fox article confirms at least 42 total injured: 39 passengers and crew transported to hospitals plus two Port Authority employees in the fire truck with non–life-threatening injuries.
- Port Authority executive director Kathryn Garcia reiterates that the pilot and copilot were based in Canada and that most injured passengers and crew have since been released from treatment.
- The article specifies that LaGuardia will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. Monday to facilitate the NTSB-led investigation.
8:46 AM
New York's LaGuardia Airport closed after jet collides with firefighting vehicle
New information:
- Confirms that two people were killed in the collision, according to a person familiar with the investigation.
- States that two Port Authority employees traveling in the fire truck were injured.
- Clarifies that the vehicle struck was a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle responding to a separate incident.
- Notes that LaGuardia Airport was closed as of 3 a.m. to facilitate the investigation.
- Includes details and quoted audio from air‑traffic‑control transmissions attempting to stop 'Truck 1' and divert incoming aircraft.
8:46 AM
A LaGuardia crash kills 2, hurts dozens and closes the airport. Here's what to know
New information:
- Identifies the flight as Air Canada Flight 8646, a CRJ‑900 operated by regional carrier Jazz Aviation from Montréal‑Trudeau to LaGuardia with 72 passengers and four crew.
- Confirms that 41 passengers and crew were transported to hospitals; 32 had been released as of early Monday, with nine remaining hospitalized and some serious injuries.
- Reports Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia’s statement that both pilots (pilot and first officer) were killed and that the two officers in the Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle were hospitalized in stable, non–life‑threatening condition.
- Details that the ARFF truck was on the runway at air traffic control’s discretion, responding to a separate 'odor' incident on a United Airlines plane, and that all runway movements require tower clearance.
- Provides air‑traffic‑control audio from LiveATC.net in which a controller clears the vehicle to cross, then frantically orders it to stop and later says, 'We were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up.'
- Notes that LaGuardia will be closed until at least 2 p.m. ET Monday to facilitate the NTSB investigation and that at least 573 flights into or out of the airport were canceled Monday morning, according to FlightAware.
5:47 AM
Air Canada jet hits fire truck, killing 2 and forcing New York's LaGuardia airport to close
New information:
- Confirms the struck Port Authority vehicle was an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) truck responding to a separate incident on Runway 4.
- Specifies that two Port Authority pilots in the ARFF vehicle were killed and that more than 40 passengers, crew, and ARFF officers were transported to hospitals, with at least some suffering serious injuries.
- Provides the aircraft’s approximate ground speed at impact (about 24 mph per Flightradar24) and the exact reported time of the incident (about 11:40–11:47 p.m. on March 22, 2026).
- States that the FAA issued a ground stop and that LaGuardia is expected to remain closed until 2 p.m. Monday, with many inbound flights diverted or returned.
- Includes on‑record statements from Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia and a Port Authority spokesperson describing emergency protocols and confirming coordination with federal authorities.