Collision at LaGuardia Airport Involving Air Canada Express Aircraft
Incident Overview
New York: A serious incident occurred at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, involving an Air Canada Express Bombardier CRJ-900. Just before the collision, an air traffic controller urgently instructed the fire truck driver to halt, saying, "Stop, stop, stop." This audio recording quickly gained traction on social media. In the clip, the controller can be heard communicating with the truck, stating, "Truck 1 and company LaGuardia Tower are requesting to cross 4 at Delta." Following this, the controller added, "Truck 1 and company crossing 4." As the fire truck approached the aircraft, the controller's voice escalated in urgency, repeating, "Stop, stop, stop, Truck 1, stop, stop, stop." However, the authenticity of this audio has not been independently verified. The flight, designated as 8646, was arriving from Montreal (YUL).
🚨#UPDATE: Listen as you can hear panic as air traffic controllers try to divert everyone away from LaGuardia after a jet had collided with a fire truck numerous injuries and now Fatalities are being reported pic.twitter.com/sU7OjwB2ol
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 23, 2026
Several individuals sustained injuries due to the crash, but there have been no confirmed fatalities. Following the incident, all flight operations at the airport were suspended. Footage of the collision has circulated online, and flight-tracking data indicated that the airport was in the process of crossing Runway 04/22 when the accident occurred. An official statement from Jazz Aviation LP, which operates as Air Canada Express, confirmed the incident involving flight AC8646, stating, "Flight 8646 was en route to LGA from Montréal (YUL). The preliminary passenger list indicates the aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew members, although this is subject to confirmation. The incident occurred at approximately 11:47 PM on March 22, 2026."
The occurrence led aviation authorities to suspend operations at LaGuardia, raising concerns about potential flight delays. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a ground stop for all flights, both incoming and outgoing, at LaGuardia, which was initially expected to last until 0530 GMT (local time). A similar incident had taken place at LaGuardia Airport last October when Delta regional jets collided at low speed while taxiing.