A regional Air Canada Express jet collided with a Port Authority fire‑rescue truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport on the night of March 22, killing both pilots and injuring dozens of others, officials said.
The Bombardier CRJ‑900, operating as Flight 8646 from Montreal, was landing at LaGuardia around 11:40 p.m. when the vehicle, responding to a separate call, crossed the runway just moments before the aircraft touched down. The impact destroyed the front of the plane and obliterated the fire truck, according to officials.
Authorities identified the deceased pilots as Captain Antoine Forest, 30, from Québec, and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther, 24, from Ontario.
The collision forced LaGuardia to close for several hours while emergency crews worked through the night to clear debris and care for the injured. More than 40 people, including passengers, crew and the two people in the fire truck, were taken to hospitals; many have since been treated and released, officials said.
“This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this happen here,” sophomore Ely Wiener said. “Everyone was just stunned in my family and it didn’t feel real.”
Airport operations gradually resumed Monday afternoon, but hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled as airlines adjusted schedules and authorities inspected the runways. Emergency responders and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (N.T.S.B.) remained on site to gather evidence and interview witnesses.
Officials have said preliminary radio recordings indicate that air traffic control cleared both the plane to land and the truck to cross at nearly the same time, and then attempted to warn the vehicle to stop before the collision occurred. The N.T.S.B. is leading the ongoing investigation into what went wrong.
LaGuardia Airport, one of the nation’s busiest hubs, has seen safety improvements in recent years, but the accident has sparked fresh questions about ground traffic control and communication protocols between vehicles and incoming flights.
“I just hope they figure out why it happened so something like this doesn’t happen again,” junior Ethan Golyan said. “It was scary seeing all the emergency vehicles and hearing about what went down.”
Despite the severity of the crash, passengers and crew onboard the plane were able to evacuate. Video and social media posts showed first responders assisting people away from the wreckage in the early hours of Monday.
Transportation officials said flight crews and passengers showed remarkable calm during evacuation, which likely helped reduce further injuries. Federal and local agencies, including the F.A.A. and Port Authority, pledged cooperation with the N.T.S.B. as the probe continues.
“I just feel really bad for everyone who got hurt,” sophomore Ariel Danialian said. “It’s scary to think something like that can happen so suddenly, and I hope they’re all able to recover quickly.”
As investigators review air traffic control audio recordings, radar data and video from the scene, aviation safety experts say the findings could influence future policies on runway crossings and emergency vehicle coordination at airports nationwide.
The N.T.S.B. typically releases an initial report weeks after an accident and a final report months later. Authorities have not yet given a timeline for when findings will become public.
