A tragic ground collision occurred late Sunday night at New York’s LaGuardia Airport when Jazz Airlines Flight 646, arriving from Montreal, struck an airport firetruck on the runway. The incident resulted in two confirmed fatalities and over a dozen injuries, according to preliminary reports.
In the immediate aftermath, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a total ground stop at the airport, which remained in effect until 1800 GMT to allow emergency teams to secure the site. Federal investigators are now examining whether a lapse in air traffic control communication led the aircraft and the emergency vehicle to be on the same active runway simultaneously.
Chaos on the Tarmac: Emergency Response and Casualties
The collision involved a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation on behalf of Air Canada Express. Witness accounts and initial data suggest the aircraft was decelerating after landing on Runway 4 when it impacted the emergency vehicle. The force of the collision caused significant damage to the aircraft’s cockpit and nose assembly.
Among the injured, several individuals are reported to be in critical condition, including emergency personnel who were inside the firetruck at the time of impact. “Our priority is the safety of the passengers and the support of the families affected by this heartbreaking event,” an FAA spokesperson stated, adding that the agency is coordinating closely with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to reconstruct the minutes leading up to the crash.
A System Under Strain: Investigating the Root Cause
This incident follows a series of reported flight disruptions at LaGuardia due to inclement weather earlier that day. Preliminary audio recordings from air traffic control indicate a potential miscommunication; reports suggest a controller may have cleared the firetruck to cross the runway just as Flight 646 was finishing its landing roll.
Aviation experts are raising questions about staffing levels and tower fatigue during late-shift operations at the busy domestic hub. While the airport has since begun the slow process of resuming operations, the closure caused a ripple effect of cancellations and diversions across the East Coast, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.
Air Canada Jet Collides with Fire Truck at LaGuardia Runway
— Sumit (@SumitHansd) March 23, 2026
Jazz Airlines Flight 646, carrying about 100 passengers and crew, collided with a Port Authority Police fire truck on Runway 4 at New York's LaGuardia Airport around 11:40 p.m.
Two killed and over a dozen injured pic.twitter.com/CCe4glRetk
