An incident at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, 2026, involved a collision between an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 aircraft and an airport emergency response vehicle. The aircraft, operating Flight AC8646 from Montreal, struck a firefighting truck during its landing approach on Runway 4. The collision resulted in the destruction of the aircraft's nose and the deaths of both pilots.
According to air traffic control recordings, the firefighting truck was responding to an unrelated incident and had requested clearance to cross the runway. Despite initial approval, the controller ordered the vehicle to stop, but the aircraft nonetheless collided with the vehicle. The firefighting truck was an Oshkosh Striker 1500, a large ARFF vehicle used for airport emergencies.
The incident caused LaGuardia Airport to close immediately, affecting operations until late afternoon. Authorities, including the NTSB, arrived quickly to investigate the crash, which underscores safety challenges associated with managing emergency responses at busy airports.
Jazz Aviation expressed their condolences, and the investigation aims to determine the causes and prevent future occurrences. The accident marks a tragic reminder of the importance of safety protocols during airport emergency operations.
