Plane Crashes Into Fire Truck At LaGuardia Airport, Killing Both Pilots

The pilot and co-pilot on Air Canada flight 8646 died late Sunday night after their plane collided with a firetruck at at LaGuardia Airport in New York. The plane carried 72 other passengers and four crew members, while the firetruck had two Port Authority employees on board. According to the Associated Press, more than 40 people, including both Port Authority truck drivers, were taken to the hospital, but most have already been released. 

The crash happened after a fire truck was cleared by air traffic control to a runway in response to a report of an odd smell from a United Airlines plane. At the same time, Air Canada flight 8646 was landing, after coming in from Montreal. In leaked audio, you can hear the controller give clearance to the firetruck, and then shortly afterwards, repeatedly tell them to stop. 

Jazz Aviation, the airline operating under Air Canada, confirmed the crash and issued a statement.

"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 11:47PM on March 22, 2026. Further details will follow as soon as possible."

Photos from the crash show the Bombardier CRJ's nose completely demolished and sticking up in the air, with debris hanging down. Passengers were still able to exit the plane via stairways placed at the emergency exit doors.

Since the plane's cockpit was crushed during the crash, killing both pilot and co-pilot, passengers didn't have any information about what happened or what to do. CNN spoke to one of the passengers aboard flight 8646, who spoke about the chaotic aftermath following the crash. "Pretty quickly, we didn't have any directions because the pilot's cabin had been kind of destroyed, so somebody said let's get the emergency exit and all jump out, and that's what we did." Officials closed LaGuardia Airport at 3:16 a.m. on March 23, and is expected to reopen at 2:00 p.m.