An Air Canada Express regional jet collided with an airport fire truck on a taxiway at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, injuring at least 70 people — including passengers, crew, and emergency responders — and causing significant damage to the aircraft’s nose section, according to officials and eyewitness accounts.
The Bombardier CRJ-900, operated by Jazz Aviation under flight number AC8646 (also referred to as Jazz 646), was arriving from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) when the collision occurred around 9:30 p.m. local time. The aircraft, registered as C-GJNZ, sustained severe structural damage to its cockpit and forward fuselage, with video footage circulating online showing the nose section crushed or sheared off.
Audio from Air Traffic Control when plane collided with fire truck at New York airport:
“Stop Truck 1, stop!”
“We were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up” pic.twitter.com/7dJcFov4gq
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 23, 2026
LaGuardia Airport was temporarily shut down following the incident, with incoming flights diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport and a ground stop issued for all arrivals and departures. Emergency crews from multiple agencies responded swiftly, evacuating all 64 passengers and 3 crew members aboard the plane. At least 3 fire department personnel were also among the injured.
“The aircraft was taxiing after landing when it struck the fire vehicle,” said a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesperson. “All passengers were safely evacuated. No fatalities have been reported.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched parallel investigations into the cause of the collision. Preliminary reports suggest the fire truck may have been responding to a separate incident or conducting routine operations when the collision occurred — but no official cause has been confirmed.
“This is a serious safety incident,” said an FAA official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We are working with the NTSB to determine what went wrong and ensure such an event does not happen again.”
The incident comes amid ongoing scrutiny of LaGuardia’s aging infrastructure and airfield safety protocols. The airport is currently undergoing a multi-billion-dollar modernization project, but taxiway and emergency response systems remain under review.
