In the heart-stopping moments before a deadly runway collision, an air traffic controller can be heard urgently shouting commands as an Air Canada Express jet barreled into danger. The target: a Port Authority firefighting truck crossing Runway 4.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop… Truck 1, stop!” the controller yelled, according to LiveATC recordings. But it was already too late.
The aircraft, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation arriving from Montreal, slammed into the vehicle while traveling roughly 24 mph. The impact killed both the pilot and co-pilot, turning what should have been a routine landing into a nightmare scenario.
Even more alarming, the audio reveals a moment of raw human error.
“Yeah, I tried to reach out to ‘em… And we were dealing with an emergency, and I messed up,” the controller admitted in the aftermath.
That emergency? Another aircraft had reported a strange odor in the cabin, sickening flight attendants and triggering a rapid response — including the very truck that ended up in the path of the landing jet.
As the situation spiraled, controllers scrambled to prevent an even larger disaster. A Frontier flight bound for Miami and a Delta flight from Detroit were both ordered to halt or go around as the runway turned into a crash scene.
ATC audio captures moment Air Canada Express flight AC8646 collided with the truck. pic.twitter.com/WsoAUT4P4j
Should measures be taken to improve air traffic control safety protocols?— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) March 23, 2026
“We got stuff in progress for that, man, that wasn’t good to watch,” one pilot said, capturing the shock rippling across the airwaves.
Onboard the Air Canada flight were 72 passengers and four crew members. Miraculously, most survived. Still, at least 11 passengers and two first responders were hospitalized, and witnesses described scenes of chaos as survivors were evacuated and rushed across the tarmac.
Images from the crash show the aircraft’s nose mangled, debris hanging from the fuselage, and the plane tilted at an unnatural angle — a haunting snapshot of how close this came to an even greater catastrophe.
LaGuardia Airport was immediately shut down, halting flights and stranding travelers as emergency crews flooded the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is now stepping in, with investigators expected to dig into every second leading up to the collision.
