A tragic collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport has left two pilots dead and dozens of people injured after an Air Canada Express jet struck a fire truck while landing late Sunday night.
The CRJ-900 aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation, had just arrived from Montreal carrying 72 passengers and four crew members when the accident occurred on the runway.
Authorities confirmed that both the captain and the first officer lost their lives in the impact. Emergency responders rushed to the scene as chaos unfolded across the runway, forcing officials to temporarily shut down the busy airport.
Several ground personnel were also injured in the crash. According to officials, at least two Port Authority firefighters sustained serious injuries. In total, 41 people were hurt — 32 have since been released from hospitals, while nine remain hospitalized with serious injuries.
“Today is an incredibly difficult day for our airline, our employees, and most importantly the families and loved ones of those affected by the accident involving flight 8646,” said Jazz Aviation President Doug Clarke.
As investigators begin working to determine exactly what happened, early indications suggest that a possible miscommunication on the runway may have played a role. Aviation expert Anthony Brickhouse noted that both the aircraft and the emergency vehicle appeared to have been cleared to proceed.
“The Air Canada jet was obviously cleared to land and from the radio transmissions it appears that the airport rescue and firefighting vehicle was cleared as well. There are a lot of questions now regarding the communications,” he explained. “Communication will be a major focus of this investigation.”
Shortly after the accident, dramatic air-traffic-control audio began circulating online, capturing the tense moments leading up to the collision. In the recording, a controller can be heard admitting fault.
“Yeah, I tried to reach out to them… And we were dealing with an emergency, and I messed up,” the controller said.
Those words quickly resonated with many people online. One commenter wrote, “Man, hearing him say ‘I messed up’ just breaks my heart… he was clearly juggling too much. Sending love to everyone hurt today.” Another added, “I respect him for being able to admit that.” Others described the recording as heartbreaking and emotionally difficult to listen to.
Passengers on board the Air Canada flight have also begun sharing their experiences, describing terrifying moments of chaos inside the cabin. Some even believe the pilots who died may have prevented an even greater disaster.
“It was a regular flight like always,” passenger Jack Cabot told Fox News while recalling the journey from Montreal shortly before the crash late Sunday night. But the landing quickly turned violent.
“As we were arriving, we came down really hard. We stopped really quickly and two seconds later we had an absolute slam,” he said, describing the impact that severely damaged the front of the aircraft.
According to Cabot, the situation inside the cabin escalated instantly. “Everybody was flying everywhere. The plane was veering left and right. It was chaos. It didn’t feel like anyone was controlling it,” he added.
Another passenger pointed to what may have been a critical action taken by the pilots just seconds before impact. Witnesses said the crew appeared to activate reverse thrust in an attempt to slow the aircraft — a move that may have significantly reduced the severity of the crash.
“Someone said the pilot tried to reverse thrust at the last second. Honestly, they probably saved our lives. I wish I could tell their families how thankful I am. They are heroes,” another passenger said.
As investigators continue examining the circumstances behind the collision, survivors are left dealing with the shock of what happened — while expressing deep gratitude to the crew whose final actions may have made the difference between life and death.
