An Air Canada flight collided with a fire truck on a LaGuardia Airport runway late Sunday, killing both pilots and injuring 41 people, according to officials. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the incident, which shut down one of the busiest airports in the United States for hours.
The crash occurred at 23:40 local time on Sunday when Air Canada Flight AC8646, arriving from Montreal, struck a fire truck that had been responding to another aircraft reporting an odor issue. The two pilots were killed instantly. Passengers described a chaotic scene with people sliding down wings to escape the wreckage.
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy visited the crash site and emphasized the importance of seat belts. 'As you see from last night, they do save lives,' Duffy said during a news conference. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy confirmed her team arrived at the scene shortly after 03:00 local time and began a walking inspection.
What the Left Is Saying
Transportation safety advocates and some Democratic officials pointed to ongoing staffing challenges at airports as a contributing factor. The partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has left TSA agents working without pay for over a month, leading to increased sick calls and hours-long security waits.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described significant delays getting her investigation team to the scene. 'We have one air traffic control specialist who was in line with TSA for three hours until we called in Houston to beg to see if we can get her through,' Homendy said. 'It's been a really, really big challenge to get the entire team here.'
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat, called the collision 'a tragic incident' and thanked first responders for their swift actions. Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney called the crash 'deeply saddening.'
What the Right Is Saying
Republican officials and transportation leaders focused on the ongoing investigation without attributing blame to staffing issues. US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman, emphasized the importance of seat belts and safety protocols.
FAA Administrator Bran Bedford described the pilots as 'two young men at the start of their career, so it's an absolute tragedy.' The NTSB's Homendy said her team was analyzing the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, neither of which was damaged.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia outlined the fire truck's mission: responding to another plane that 'reported an issue with odour.' The investigation continues with teams documenting what Homendy called 'a tremendous amount of debris' on the runway.
What the Numbers Show
Two pilots were killed in the collision. Forty-one people were taken to hospital, some with serious injuries. Many have since been released. Two people in the fire truck were also hospitalized.
The crash occurred at LaGuardia Airport, which handles millions of passengers annually. It has been more than 34 years since the airport experienced an incident resulting in a death, according to officials.
The DHS partial shutdown has left TSA agents without pay for over one month. Some TSA agents at LaGuardia reported colleagues calling out sick, creating staffing shortages that have caused hours-long waits at security checkpoints.
The Bottom Line
The NTSB investigation is in its early stages, with investigators analyzing cockpit voice and flight data recorders. The runway will remain closed as teams document evidence. Passengers described a violent impact that felt like the plane was 'cut in half.'
The incident comes as US airports face systemic staffing pressures from the ongoing DHS shutdown. NTSB officials say those challenges affected their ability to deploy investigators quickly. The collision has raised questions about runway safety protocols and emergency response procedures at major airports.
Watch for the NTSB's preliminary findings, expected in the coming weeks, which will provide more detail on what caused the fire truck to be on the runway at the moment of landing.