--- description: From how the collision unfolded to the ongoing impact on air travel, here's what we know so far. title: What to Know About the Air Canada Jet Collision That Killed Two at New York Airport image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc4fcea499d9a0b56/69c1342aea8a0b1229e841ea/Plane_Crash.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [New York](/tag/new-york/) ## New York Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What to Know About the Air Canada Jet Collision That Killed Two at New York Airport ## Video: "Stop, Stop, Stop": Control Tower Audio During New York Airport Crash Released VERTICAL [Watch (HLS stream): "Stop, Stop, Stop": Control Tower Audio During New York Airport Crash Released VERTICAL](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kcRlFIUy.m3u8) (0:49)  _Published 2026-03-23. Audio recordings from a control tower have revealed the moment an Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on a runway while landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing two pilots._ by [Tiago Ventura](/author/tiago-ventura/) and [Connor Greene](/author/connor-greene/) Updated: Mar 24, 2026 12:25 PM CUTPublished: Mar 23, 2026 2:58 PM CUT by [Tiago Ventura](/author/tiago-ventura/) and [Connor Greene](/author/connor-greene/) Updated: Mar 24, 2026 12:25 PM CUTPublished: Mar 23, 2026 2:58 PM CUT An Air Canada plane collided with a Port Authority fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, killing both pilots and shutting down operations at the airport. “At approximately 11:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada was involved in an incident on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in which the aircraft struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident,” the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed in a statement to TIME. “The pilot and co-pilot of the Jazz Aviation flight were pronounced deceased.” [According](https://flyjazz.mediaroom.com/2026-03-23-Jazz-Aviation-LP-operating-as-Air-Canada-Express-confirms-incident "undefined") to Jazz Aviation, the plane—[which had traveled from](https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/ac8646 "undefined") Montreal-Trudeau International Airport—had 72 passengers and four crew members aboard. An estimated 41 people were transported to the hospital—39 plane passengers and two officers from the fire truck. Most had been released from hospital by late Monday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with assistance from the Port Authority Police Department, continue to investigate the incident. The FAA confirmed to TIME that the air traffic control staffing at LaGuardia at the time of the collision “will be part of the investigation.” Here’s what we know about the incident so far. ### How did the Air Canada jet collision unfold? The Air Canada Express Flight 8646, operated by Jazz Aviation, a regional carrier in Canada, collided with a fire truck as it landed on a runway at LaGuardia. In an [audio recording](https://apnews.com/video/stop-stop-stop-heard-from-control-tower-during-laguardia-airport-collision-89863d502b3543fd8c50b2e97a20decf "undefined") of the air traffic control communications from the time of the incident, obtained via the LiveATC website, a voice can be heard telling a vehicle multiple times to “stop.” Port Authority executive director Kathryn Garcia said during a [news conference](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v%5FarldQtCAY "undefined") early Monday that the fire vehicle had been responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight. “The vehicle was responding to another aircraft operated by United that had reported an issue with odor,” she said, adding that investigators will examine the aircraft’s landing speed and determine control tower activity at the time of the incident. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference later on Monday that the fire truck had been deployed to respond to an “aborted takeoff” for the United flight. He pledged that the FAA would “take concrete actions to ensure something like this will never happen again.” One Air Canada passenger, Rebecca Liquori, told [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/air-canada-passenger-seated-emergency-exit-says-pilots-actions-saved-l-rcna264770 "undefined") that when the wheels of the plane touched down there was "a grinding sound," then "a couple seconds after that, you just felt the collision. It was like the loudest boom I've ever heard." In a statement to TIME, the FAA confirmed that the NTSB is in charge of the investigation. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy [will serve](https://x.com/NTSB%5FNewsroom/status/2035975727762256307 "undefined") as the on-scene spokesperson, alongside member John DeLeeuw. The FAA also confirmed to TIME that the air traffic control staffing at LaGuardia at the time of the incident “will be part of the investigation.” Homendy provided additional details at an evening press conference on Monday, during which she outlined the status of the NTSB investigation. “We have a lot of data right now, a lot of information,” Homendy said. “But the NTSB deals in facts. We don’t speculate. We don't take one person at their word. We verify that information carefully before we provide it. So that is something we still have to do.” Further information from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the aircraft, along with details on airport staffing during the time of the crash, will be released on Tuesday, she said.  Cancelled flights are displayed on a screen at Terminal B in LaGuardia Airport in New York City on March 23, 2026. Michael M. Santiago—Getty Images ### What do we know about the victims so far? The pilot and co-pilot were pronounced dead at the scene. Antoine Forest has been identified as one of the Air Canada pilots who was killed in the collision, his great-aunt, Jeannette Gagnier, told the[_Toronto Star_.](https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/air-canada-aircraft-from-montreal-crashes-into-ground-vehicle-at-la-guardia-airport-sustains-significant-damage/article%5F4b08524d-1c87-4ae4-b45b-8cd310e67d7c.html#e786e789-57c3-499e-aa4e-dd2559d394aa "undefined")Forest was a native of Coteau-du-Lac, a city in the province of Quebec. “He was always taking courses and flying. He never stopped,” Gagnier told the Star. “He flew his first plane when he was 16 years old.” The second Air Canada pilot has been identified as Mackenzie Gunther, who graduated from the Honours Bachelor of Aviation Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic in Canada in 2023\. The school, in a [statement](https://students.senecapolytechnic.ca/spaces/112/mynews/articles/student-news/17851/in-memoriam "undefined"), offered its “deepest condolences” to his family and friends. The occupants of the fire truck were identified by the Port Authority as Sergeant Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez. One flight attendant who survived the crash was identified as Solange Tremblay by her daughter, Sarah Lépine, in an interview with CNN affiliate [TVA Nouvelles](https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2026/03/23/collision-a-laeroport-laguardia-une-agente-de-bord-quebecoise-survit-miraculeusement "undefined"). Lépine said her mother suffered multiple fractures and was taken to hospital for surgery on a broken leg. Air Canada [has offered](https://time.com/article/2026/03/23/air-canada-plane-collision-laguardia-new-york-fatalities-investigation/#:~:text=Air%20Canada-,has%20offered,-its%20%E2%80%9Cdeepest%20condolences "undefined") its “deepest condolences to the entire Jazz community and their families.” ### How is air travel being impacted? LaGuardia Airport reopened to the public around 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, but the runway where the collision occurred remains closed while additional evidence is gathered. Homendy, the NTSB chair, said Monday evening that there was still “a tremendous, tremendous amount of debris” on the runway from the crash. When asked how long the runway on which the crash occurred would be closed, she said that “it’s going to take some time … It’s going to be days.” Delta flight 990, travelling to Atlanta, Georgia, was the first flight to depart LaGuardia following the collision, taking off at 2:08 p.m., local time. The airport [warned](https://x.com/LGAairport/status/2036140965942141166 "undefined") travelers to “expect delays and/or cancellations” and those disruptions have continued on Tuesday. According to [FlightAware](https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today/klga "undefined"), by mid-morning Tuesday, over 190 flights at LaGuardia had been cancelled and more than 160 delayed. The collision comes at a time of widespread disruption at airports across the U.S., with passengers facing hours-long delays. The turmoil is the result of a standoff in the funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has partially shut down the government, leaving Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers unpaid until it can be resolved. As the TSA battles a wave of resignations and staffing issues amid the funding crunch, President Donald Trump, over the weekend, announced he will [deploy ICE agents](https://time.com/article/2026/03/23/ice-airports-homan-duffy-trump-administration/ "undefined") to assist airport security operations. ### How are officials responding? “I want to extend my sympathies for the families of the two pilots,” Bedford said at a news conference at LaGuardia Monday afternoon “These were two young men at the start of their career, so it’s an absolute tragedy that we’re sitting here with their loss.” Transportation Secretary Duffy described LaGuardia as “a very well-staffed airport” but called on Congress to provide funding to “modernize” the air traffic control system. “We need more money for air traffic control,” he said. “We are modernizing our system, but we can’t fully modernize it until the Congress gives us additional money.” New York's Gov. Kathy Hogul shared her sympathies with the families, referring to the incident as “[heartbreaking](https://x.com/govkathyhochul/status/2036048207965298913?s=46&t=op3KnRWayVQwe0Xuza3lqQ "undefined").” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the “city is in close contact with federal, state, and local partners” and thanked first responders for their swift actions. Canada’s Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon confirmed that Canada will be working closely with the U.S. to investigate the incident, [reaffirming](https://x.com/stevenmackinnon/status/2036031353859223649 "undefined") that “aviation safety remains our highest priority.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney [described](https://x.com/MarkJCarney/status/2036080559131074838?s=20 "undefined") the incident as “deeply saddening” and reiterated Canada's involvement in the investigation. Trump referred to the incident as “terrible” when addressing reporters in Florida on Monday, adding: “They made a mistake. 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