NEW YORK, March 23, 2026 — A routine late-night landing turned into a deadly catastrophe at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, as an Air Canada Express flight collided with a ground vehicle in a horrifying crash that has left two Canadian pilots dead and dozens injured.
The aircraft, a Jazz Aviation Mitsubishi CRJ-900 operating as Flight AC8646 from Montréal, was carrying approximately 72 passengers and four crew members when disaster struck just before midnight.
Authorities say the jet slammed into a Port Authority emergency vehicle that had been responding to another incident on the airfield. The violent impact killed both the pilot and co-pilot instantly, sending shockwaves through the aviation community.
In the chaotic aftermath, at least 41 people were injured — some seriously — as emergency crews rushed to the scene. Passengers described a terrifying moment of impact, followed by confusion and panic inside the aircraft. While 32 injured individuals have since been released from the hospital, several remain under urgent medical care.
The collision occurred around 11:30 p.m., according to officials, under circumstances that are now the focus of an intensive cross-border investigation.
In a statement, Air Canada confirmed the devastating loss of the two flight crew members:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two Jazz employees, and our deepest condolences go out to the entire Jazz community and their families.”
Emergency responders remain on site, and investigators are working to piece together exactly how a landing aircraft came to strike an active emergency vehicle on one of North America’s busiest runways.
Air Canada cautioned that the full extent of injuries — and whether additional fatalities may be confirmed — remains unclear as authorities continue their assessment.
Teams from both Air Canada and Jazz Aviation are en route to New York, while officials from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the crash.
For families desperate for information, Air Canada has established a hotline at 1-800-961-7099.
More details are expected as this developing and deeply troubling story unfolds.
photo by unknown onlooker on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport, New York
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