CCTV footage has captured the exact moment an Air Canada Express aircraft collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, providing a clear visual account of the deadly incident late Sunday night.
The aircraft, Flight AC8646 — a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation — had arrived from Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport when it struck a Port Authority fire truck on the runway.
Pilot, co-pilot killed; dozens injured The collision killed both pilots onboard, while more than 70 passengers were on the flight at the time of the incident.
Around 40 passengers and crew members, along with two people from the fire truck, were taken to hospitals. Most were later discharged, though several sustained serious injuries.
In a dramatic account, a flight attendant survived.
Emergency response turns into disaster The fire truck had been cleared to cross the runway to inspect a separate United Airlines flight that reported an onboard odor.
Moments before the crash, air traffic control audio captured a frantic warning: “Stop, stop, stop, Truck 1… Stop!”
Roughly 20 minutes later, the controller appeared to accept responsibility, saying: “We were dealing with an emergency earlier… I messed up.”
Scenes of devastation at crash site Images from the scene showed extensive damage:
The aircraft’s nose crushed and cockpit mangled
Cables and debris hanging from the front section
The fire truck overturned, heavily damaged at the rear
Airport shutdown and travel chaos The crash forced a shutdown of LaGuardia Airport, one of New York’s busiest hubs, leading to widespread disruption.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled
Operations resumed later with only one runway
Delays continued across multiple US airports
The disruption came amid an ongoing government shutdown that has already strained airport operations nationwide.
Investigation focuses on runway coordination The probe is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board, with support from Canadian authorities.