NTSB Investigates Fatal Runway Collision at LaGuardia Airport

NEW YORK — The National Transportation Safety Board has deployed a go team to investigate a fatal runway collision at LaGuardia Airport that killed two people and injured dozens more Sunday night.

Air Canada Jazz Flight 8646, a CRJ900 operating from Montreal, collided with a fire truck on Runway 4 at 11:37 p.m. March 22. The aircraft was touching down when it struck the emergency vehicle, which was responding to an incident involving Frontier Flight 2384. Two flight deck crew members died in the collision, while 39 of the 72 passengers and two fire truck occupants were injured.

Preliminary reports indicate the air traffic controller cleared the fire truck to cross the active runway just 12 seconds before the aircraft landed, despite the plane being on short final approach. Only two controllers were on duty at the time, and the runway safety system failed to alert them to the hazard. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and Board Member John DeLeeuw are leading the investigation. The incident highlights ongoing runway safety concerns, with the FAA reporting over 1,600 runway incursions in fiscal 2025 and 498 through January 2026 — well above average levels.