Both pilots aboard an Air Canada Express flight from Montreal were killed Sunday night when their aircraft struck a fire truck on a runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, authorities confirmed Monday — a catastrophic collision that sent 41 people to hospital and prompted urgent questions about how an emergency vehicle ended up in the path of a landing jet.
What Happened
Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members when it touched down at LaGuardia at approximately 11:40 p.m. ET Sunday. The aircraft, travelling at more than 100 miles per hour, slammed into a Port Authority fire-rescue vehicle that was responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines plane on another part of the airfield.
The impact killed the pilot, Antoine Forest of Coteau-du-Lac, Québec, and First Officer MacKenzie Gunther. Forest, described by family as someone who had always dreamed of flying, was a veteran aviator with Jazz Aviation.
One flight attendant was found alive but ejected more than 300 feet from the aircraft, still strapped to her seat. Two Port Authority officers aboard the fire truck suffered broken bones but are expected to survive.
‘Stop, Stop, Stop’
Air traffic control recordings released Monday reveal the fire truck had been cleared to cross the active runway before a controller urgently told it to stop — moments before impact. Investigators are now examining why the vehicle was directed across the path of an arriving aircraft and whether the crew had any warning.
“This is a scenario that should never happen at a modern airport,” said one aviation safety expert who spoke to reporters Monday. “Runway incursions involving ground vehicles are among the most dangerous events in aviation.”
Black Boxes Recovered
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy confirmed Monday that both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered intact and transported to NTSB laboratories in Washington, D.C., for analysis. A team of 25 investigators has been deployed to LaGuardia, with additional personnel expected.
The FAA is also reviewing Airport Surface Detection Equipment data, which tracks the position of all aircraft and ground vehicles on the airfield, to determine whether collision-avoidance alerts were generated.
Canada Responds
Federal Transport Minister Anita Anand said Canada is “searching for answers” and has been in contact with U.S. investigators. Jazz Aviation, a Halifax-based regional carrier that operates most Air Canada Express flights in eastern Canada, released a statement expressing “profound grief” over the loss of its crew members.
LaGuardia Airport was closed for several hours following the crash but reopened Monday morning. Air Canada has set up a dedicated family assistance line for passengers and their families.
The NTSB investigation is expected to take months, with a preliminary report anticipated within 30 days.
This is a developing story. WestNet News will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. With files from CBC News, Global News, and NPR.
