Deadly LaGuardia Runway Collision Kills Two Pilots, Injures Dozens

A devastating collision on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night claimed the lives of both pilots aboard an Air Canada Express regional jet and left dozens of passengers injured. The aircraft, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation on behalf of Air Canada, struck a Port Authority fire-rescue truck while landing just before midnight.

Authorities say the plane was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members when it collided with the emergency vehicle at approximately 104 miles per hour. The fire truck had been on the runway responding to an unrelated incident involving a United Airlines plane that had reported an unusual odor in its cabin. Air traffic control recordings indicate the truck was initially cleared to cross the runway before a controller attempted to halt it moments before impact.

In chilling audio captured from the tower, a controller can be heard saying he tried to reach the vehicle and stop it, acknowledging the situation with the words, “I messed up.” The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a full investigation and dispatched a go-team to the scene. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy traveled to the airport Monday morning, calling the crash an “absolute tragedy.”

Forty-one people were transported to area hospitals following the crash. Most injuries involved broken bones and bruises, though at least one individual suffered a brain bleed. In one of the most harrowing details to emerge, a flight attendant was ejected from the aircraft while still strapped to her seat and found roughly 100 meters from the plane. Her daughter confirmed she survived and was undergoing surgery.

LaGuardia reopened one of its runways around 2 p.m. Monday, but significant delays and cancellations continued throughout the day. The incident has intensified scrutiny of air traffic control staffing, which has been strained nationwide amid the ongoing partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. Investigators say it could take more than a week to fully clear and examine the second runway, which remains closed.

On Cue VI will continue to follow this developing story as the NTSB investigation proceeds.