Accident at New York airport: CRJ-900 aircraft collides with ground transport, 13 injured

On the night of March 23, an accident occurred on runway 4 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport: an Air Canada Express aircraft arriving from Montreal collided with a fire truck. As a result of this incident, the pilot and co-pilot of the aircraft operating flight AC8646 were killed.

There were 76 people on board the aircraft, of whom 13, including 11 passengers and 2 rescue workers, were hospitalized with fractures. The other victims mostly received minor injuries, and all those hospitalized are in stable condition.

The incident led to the temporary closure of the airport and the introduction of a “ground stop” mode for all flights, with the expectation of possible long delays. Arriving flights are being redirected to other airports or returned to their point of departure. Authorities urged drivers to be prepared for traffic jams and use alternative routes.

Emergency services are working at the scene of the crash, and the nose of the plane was severely damaged, and videos from the scene have emerged showing flashes of light and smoke. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have sent a team to investigate the incident. Representatives of Jazz Aviation, a regional partner of Air Canada, expressed their support for the victims.

LaGuardia Airport, the third busiest in New York, has previously faced problems with delays due to weather conditions and staff cuts due to lack of funding. It served about 33.5 million passengers in 2024 and has completed a major reconstruction of its terminals and road infrastructure.

The accident is one of the most serious aviation disasters in the United States in recent years. For example, in January 2025, a collision of a passenger plane with a military helicopter near Washington killed 67 people. Also in January, a business jet crashed during takeoff in Maine.