Air Canada express crash at La Guardia

[You Need a Thneed]

Air Canada flight from Montreal to La Guardia has crashed into a fire truck crossing the runway upon landing.

Pictures show the cabin and everything up to the front doors basically ripped off the plane.

Deaths are being reported.

ATC sent the fire truck across the runway in error.

Pictures here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/DF54jEcBRJ

ATC recording:

https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/T6066vTrRn

[Hemi-Cuda]

This plus the news of ICE being sent to enforce security at airports is really making me regret my decision to transfer through the US on my way home from Vietnam next week

[DoubleK]

Those pilots are very dead.

How the heck did this happen?!

[Acey]

The "how did this happen" is that the controller made a mistake and cleared the fire truck into the path of the landing aircraft. He tried to correct the mistake but it was too late.

I've worked on this exact plane, CRJ have very bright landing lights that are tough to mistake as anything other than a plane, but there are lots of lights on an airfield and it could be hard to discern in the dark and rain. "Look both ways before crossing the street" still applies after a controller has given you clearance to cross for this exact reason. My condolences to the families of the dead but also to the tower controller who now has to deal with this mistake for the rest of his life; a lot of blame here will be rightfully directed at an increasingly broken US air traffic control system but ultimately one man made a catastrophic error with horrendous consequences.

It's a small and quite connected commercial aviation industry in Canada, many will have either worked with one of the crew lost or know somebody that did.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Those pilots are very dead.

Mixed reports right now. I think I've seen it reported by some US sources that the Pilot and Co-Pilot are currently alive while a lot of Canadian aviation people are say they are the two confirmed fatalities.

[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Mixed reports right now. I think I've seen it reported by some US sources that the Pilot and Co-Pilot are currently alive while a lot of Canadian aviation people are say they are the two confirmed fatalities.

Photos of the aftermath make me skeptical that the cockpit crew could have survived..


https://simpleflying.com/air-canada-...ck-fatalities/

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

Photos of the aftermath make me skeptical that the cockpit crew could have survived..


https://simpleflying.com/air-canada-...ck-fatalities/

Well when there is no cockpit to be seen.....that seems likely unfortunately.

Have to think whoever was in the firetruck would be in trouble as well...because this was no low speed collision.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Mixed reports right now. I think I've seen it reported by some US sources that the Pilot and Co-Pilot are currently alive while a lot of Canadian aviation people are say they are the two confirmed fatalities.

Only 2 would be a miracle but it is at least 2

[transplant99]

An Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Sunday, killing the pilot and copilot and injuring two others, a law enforcement official told CNN.

Two people inside the truck were injured in the crash, the official told CNN. The truck had preliminarily been cleared and was responding to a nearby flight that had requested assistance for an unknown odor in the cockpit, the official said.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/23/us/la...-emergency-hnk

[Acey]

Yeah the controller was dealing with a lot of other things going on. Just an absolute recipe for disaster.

The $10 billion the US has spent in Iran so far could go a long way to begin modernizing a terrifyingly broken ATC system that has now been directly responsible for 2 major fatal accidents within a year and countless near misses.

[fotze2]

What would the fire truck look like prior? Looks like the plane hit a wall.

Was this just after landing at speed (I would assume) or taxiing?

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by fotze2

What would the fire truck look like prior? Looks like the plane hit a wall.

Was this just after landing at speed (I would assume) or taxiing?

Likely a beast compared to what you see on the streets. What a terrible situation.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Likely a beast compared to what you see on the streets. What a terrible situation.

The plane must have been trucking because that seems more catastrophic than I would expect from all my obvious years of plane engineering experience. Haha.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by fotze2

What would the fire truck look like prior? Looks like the plane hit a wall.

Was this just after landing at speed (I would assume) or taxiing?

Something like this:



https://www.facebook.com/groups/6657...6945536964548/

Spoiler!

https://www.footflyer.com/improving-...rams-examples/

It sounds like the truck was on Taxiway D, and the AC plane incoming from SW, so it would have been shortly after touchdown.

[btimbit]

Have three friends at Jazz on RJ's. This is horrible. ATC at LaGuardia is a ####show at best on a good day but these guys and girls are so overworked it's hard to point the finger. The whole system is broken

[chemgear]

"I messed up"

https://twitter.com/user/status/2035957754389471605

[Acey]

I've done air traffic control in Edmonton. High level control with planes at cruise altitude so very different than what this guy does, but the stress is absurd at the best of times. I've contemplated going back but incidents like this really squash any such plans.

The guilt this man will feel for the rest of his life is immeasurable.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by fotze2

The plane must have been trucking because that seems more catastrophic than I would expect from all my obvious years of plane engineering experience. Haha.

Looks like the aircraft was doing about 100 knots at the time of collision which is about 185 km/h. The CRJ-900 sits low to the ground too, the cockpit would have struck the truck. Sounds like they struck the firetruck behind the cab, along the main body of the truck which likely saved the fire crews from a similar fate.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Have three friends at Jazz on RJ's. This is horrible. ATC at LaGuardia is a ####show at best on a good day but these guys and girls are so overworked it's hard to point the finger. The whole system is broken

There are fingers to be pointed, but it has nothing to do with the guy on the radio. It's not like these are not solvable issues. Train more people. Pay more if you need to, as the market demands. Maybe if it is a less ####ty stressful job more people would do it for longer.

[Dynamic]

Just a thought, I think it is important that everyone keeps their head on straight. Stop for a second and slow down. Saying that the “entire ATC system is broken” is no different than these politicians deeming something “broken” and then demolishing it to the ground. The problem is not the ATC system, it is a well well functioning system of managed and staffed correctly. It seems like that may not be the case but time will tell.