In the morning of Monday, March 23, a serious accident involved a scheduled plane at LaGuardia Airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States for domestic flights. The incident caused the death of the commander and the first officer of the plane – who would be the pilot and the copilot – and led to the temporary closure of the entire airport.
According to information from the New York Times, the aircraft involved is a regional jet operated by Jazz Aviation for Air Canada Express, arriving from Montreal. During the approaching or rolling stages – the dynamic is still under investigation – the plane collided with a means of firefighters present on the track. On board the plane, departed from Montreal at 22:30 local and landed in New York an hour later, there were 72 passengers and 4 crew members.
The impact significantly affected the front of the aircraft, causing severe structural damage to the fuselage and the cockpit, resulting in the death of the pilot and copilot. 41 people among crew members, passengers and two men on board the vehicle of service collided with the plane were wounded and taken to the hospital. Most have been released, but 9 people are still in the hospital for more serious injuries.
An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 sits on the runway after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York, on March 23, 2026. Air Canada Express flight AC8646 originated from Montreal and collided with the fire truck during landing. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
Immediately after the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has arranged a “ground stop”, blocking all flights leaving and arriving at LaGuardia. It is a standard measure in emergency situations, necessary to allow the intervention of the rescue and secure the operating area.
The temporary closure had effects on the entire airport system of the New York metropolitan area. Several flights were diverted to the John F. Kennedy International Airport and the Newark Liberty International Airport, while others were canceled or delayed, with chain consequences on numerous national routes. LaGuardia manages hundreds of movements every day, especially on internal routes to the United States.
The federal authorities have started an investigation to accurately reconstruct the dynamics of the incident. In these cases, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the independent agency that in the United States is responsible for analyzing transport accidents and identifying any liability or criticality in operational protocols.
One of the central aspects of the survey is the coordination between air traffic and ground service, one of the most delicate phases in airport operations. High-density airports such as LaGuardia require extremely precise management of spaces and times, where each error can have significant consequences.
L’articolo What we know about the incident at LaGuardia Airport proviene da IlNewyorkese.
