Two pilots have died after an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a fire truck on the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, prompting an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The incident occurred at about 11.45pm ET on Sunday as the firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate emergency.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900, operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal. Nine people remain hospitalised following the collision. The pilots have been identified as Antoine Forest, 30, of Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, who joined Jazz Aviation in 2022, and Mackenzie Gunther, according to Canadian media.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said on Monday evening that an investigation was under way, with the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder recovered. LaGuardia reopened at 2pm on Monday, but the runway where the crash occurred will remain closed for some time due to debris and hazardous materials.
Audio recordings reveal an air traffic controller giving clearance for a vehicle to cross part of the runway before attempting to stop it. "Stop, Truck 1. Stop," the controller is heard saying, before quickly diverting incoming aircraft. In a subsequent exchange, a pilot involved in the incident said, "I messed up," to which another pilot replied, "Nah, man, you did the best you could."
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA was deploying a team to support the investigation, which will examine whether air traffic control staffing levels were a factor. Donald Trump commented that "they made a mistake; it's a dangerous business," while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the collision as "deeply saddening."
The fire truck had been responding to a United Airlines flight that declared an emergency due to an odour onboard. Photos show significant damage to the nose of the aircraft and the fire vehicle tipped on its side. The Air Line Pilots Association expressed profound tragedy at the loss of the two crew members.
