LaGuardia plane crash latest: Surviving passengers call pilots ‘heroes’ as world hears more details on fatal collision
Flights resumed from airport Monday afternoon, shortly after first runway reopened following deadly collision
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Footage shows the plane slamming into a Port Authority fire truck on the runway, where the emergency vehicle was responding to an issue on another plane.
The jet involved in the crash landed in New York from Montreal with 72 passengers and four crew members onboard.
“Stop, stop, stop!” an air traffic dispatcher can be heard saying on control tower audio from the incident. A voice later adds: “I messed up.”
About 40 passengers and crew members were taken to nearby hospitals, some with serious injuries. Most had been released Monday morning, authorities said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the deadly collision served as a reminder to “wear your seatbelts.”
LaGuardia reopened one runway at 2 p.m. Eastern on Monday, though the runway with the crash site is expected to be closed for days.
Recap: Investigation ongoing after Air Canada passenger plane in deadly collision at LaGuardia Airport
If you’re just joining us, here’s everything you need to know:
Joe Sommerlad24 March 2026 09:00
Air Canada pilot killed in truck collision had been flying since he was 16, family say
Relatives of Antoine Forest, 30, have confirmed that the Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, native was one of the two pilots who died in Sunday’s crash.
Family members spoke with The Toronto Star Monday to identify Forest, who lived in the small town located about 25 miles southwest of Montreal.
Forest’s great-aunt, Jeannette Gagnier – whom he considered a grandmother – told the Star that he had been flying since he was 16 years old.
“He was always taking courses and flying,” Gagnier said, recalling how he first learned to pilot bush planes as a teenager. “He never stopped.”
Jasmine Fernandez reports.
Joe Sommerlad24 March 2026 11:30
Top story: ‘Hero’ pilots died saving their passengers after Air Canada flight crashed into fire truck at LaGuardia airport, survivor says
If you are joining us for the first time, two pilots were killed and dozens of passengers injured when an Air Canada Express flight from Montreal landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Sunday night collided with a fire truck on an active runway.
Here’s a complete account of how the disaster unfolded from Shweta Sharma, Paul Farrell, and Jasmine Fernandez.
Joe Sommerlad24 March 2026 11:00
Watch: LaGuardia passenger recounts harrowing escape from Air Canada plane after crash
Rebecca Liquori described her experience of the ordeal to CNN last night, saying the Air Canada smash began qith a “huge boom” that jolted passengers from their seats.
“I’m just grateful to be alive,” she said. “I'm grateful that I was able to go home and kiss my sons, be able to hug them, because when I was on the plane, I didn't think that I was ever going to get that opportunity again.”
Air Canada passenger recounts escape after plane crash on LaGuardia runway
An Air Canada passenger has described the terrifying moments after the plane she was on collided with a fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Rebecca Liquori said that the crash, which occurred on Sunday night (22 March), began with a “huge boom” that jolted passengers from their seats. “I’m just grateful to be alive,” she told CNN. “I'm grateful that I was able to go home and kiss my sons, be able to hug them, because when I was on the plane, I didn't think that I was ever going to get that opportunity again.” The collision killed both pilots, injured dozens of passengers, and triggered travel chaos.
Joe Sommerlad24 March 2026 10:30
In pictures: Officials visit Runway 4 in search of answers
Speaking of Duffy, here he is alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at LaGuardia Monday, the trio joining forces to express their thanks to the emergency responders and attempt to get to the bottom of the communication breakdown that led to the disaster.
Joe Sommerlad24 March 2026 10:00
‘Seatbelts save lives,’ transportation secretary reminds Americans
Sean Duffy visited the crash site at LaGuardia and afterwards offered this advice to travellers:
Joe Sommerlad24 March 2026 09:30
Senior Trump official blames LaGuardia crash on Democrat push for 'open borders'
A senior Trump administration official alleges the Democratic immigration agenda is to blame for Sunday’s fatal crash at LaGuardia.
Speaking with Fox Business, Small Business Administration chief Kelly Loeffler claimed the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security contributed to the crash, which she painted as a casualty of a demand for “open borders.”
“The Democrats, again, are exacting tremendous pressure on a system at the time when you least need it, when national security, when airport safety, is involved,” Loeffler said. “Democrats want to defund DHS at the expense of the American people, of the safety of the American people. We see it playing out across this country.”
The ongoing shutdown is indeed a result of hardball negotiations from Democrats, but they are seeking new legal safeguards and tactics reforms at DHS, rather than a new immigration policy, in the wake of agents fatally shooting two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Here’s more info on what’s driving the shutdown conversation.
Josh Marcus24 March 2026 08:30
ICYMI: Survivors recount horrifying Air Canada crash at LaGuardia
Two pilots were killed and dozens of passengers were injured when an Air Canada Express flight landing Sunday night at New York’s LaGuardia Airport collided with a fire truck on an active runway.
“Stop, stop, stop! Truck 1, stop!” the controller can be heard shouting in audio recording.
It came too late to prevent the CRJ-900 jet from slamming into the emergency vehicle on Runway 4 around 11:40 p.m. The ground vehicle, identified as "Truck 1," had been cleared to cross the tarmac while responding to a separate emergency involving a United Airlines flight. A voice on the air traffic recording can be heard admitting they “messed up.”
Video footage also showed the horrific collision when the speeding jet crashed into the fire truck, which tried to avoid the plane at the last second.
More details in our full story.
Josh Marcus24 March 2026 08:00
Canada deploys team to help investigate LaGuardia crash
The agency added that in keeping with international protocol, it will not be able to comment on the investigation, which is being led by its U.S. counterpart, the National Transportation Safety Board.
Josh Marcus24 March 2026 06:59
Recap: Officials identify one of the Air Canada pilots who died in LaGuardia crash
Two pilots, including 30-year-old Antoine Forest, were killed and 41 people were injured late Sunday night when an Air Canada Express flight collided with a Port Authority fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
The Bombardier CRJ-900, operated by Jazz Aviation, was arriving from Montreal with 76 passengers and crew when it struck the emergency vehicle on Runway 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m. The truck had been cleared to cross the active runway while responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight.
While federal authorities have not yet released the names of the flight crew, family members have begun identifying the victims. Both the pilot and co-pilot were based in Canada, according to Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are conducting a joint investigation into the collision. The airport officially reopened at 2 p.m., though officials cautioned that only one of its two runways is currently operational.
Jasmine Fernández reports.
Josh Marcus24 March 2026 06:00
