Air Canada plane crashes at LaGuardia Airport in New York City

Two people have died in a crash involving an Air Canada plane at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. The incident occurred on Sunday night when the CRJ-900 aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation as Air Canada Flight AC8646, collided with a Port Authority fire truck while landing.

The plane was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal to New York. A fire truck was responding to a United Airlines flight that had reported an odor on board minutes before the crash. The air traffic controller initially cleared the truck to cross the runway but later tried to stop it, repeatedly shouting “Truck One, stop, stop, stop!” in the seconds before the collision.

According to audio recordings and flight-tracking data, the aircraft struck the fire truck at approximately 39km/h (24mph). US and Canadian authorities are investigating the incident, with a focus on air traffic control coordination. Investigators will examine how air and ground traffic were managed at the time of the crash.

The FAA has faced staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, with recent estimates suggesting at least 3,000 more are needed. The incident occurred during an overnight shift, when towers are typically staffed by fewer controllers. Investigators will also look into overtime, shift patterns, and whether fatigue may have been a factor.

LaGuardia Airport is one of the busiest airports in the US, with over 16.7 million passengers departing from the airport in 2025. The incident has raised concerns about airport security operations, which have been impacted by staffing shortages at the TSA and other agencies due to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

Source: Al Jazeera