Air Canada Express Jet Collides With Fire Truck at LaGuardia
Air Canada Express LaGuardia collision March 2023
Operations at New York’s LaGuardia Airport came to a standstill early Monday morning, March 23, 2026, after an Air Canada Express flight collided with a ground vehicle shortly after landing.
The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was arriving from Montreal (Flight AC8646) when it struck a fire truck on Runway 4.
The impact occurred at approximately 11:50 p.m. EDT as the jet was traveling at an estimated speed of 24 miles per hour.
Preliminary reports and audio from air traffic control suggest that commands were issued for both the aircraft and the vehicle to halt moments before the collision, which caused significant damage to the aircraft’s nose and cockpit area.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) immediately issued an emergency ground stop for all flights at the airport, which remained in effect through the early morning hours.
A separate notice to airmen (NOTAM) indicated a high probability that the airport could remain closed until at least 6:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Monday as investigators and recovery crews clear the wreckage.
According to Reuters the collision forced arriving planes to divert to nearby hubs or return to their points of origin, causing a massive cascade of delays across the Northeast aviation corridor.
Emergency responders from the New York Fire Department (FDNY) arrived on the scene within minutes to assist with the evacuation of over 100 passengers. While official casualty counts are still being finalized, indicate that several people were injured, including five firefighters who were reportedly inside the struck vehicle.
Some of the injured are described as being in critical condition. Footage circulating on social media showed the aircraft tilted forward on the tarmac as passengers deplaned via emergency slides.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to launch a full investigation into the communication breakdown that led to a fire engine being in the direct path of an active landing.
