On the night of March 22, 2026, a catastrophic aviation accident occurred at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) when an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with an airport fire truck during its landing roll. According to reporting from Reuters and NBC News, the Bombardier CRJ-900 (Flight 8646), operated by Jazz Aviation, struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle on Runway 4 at approximately 11:38 PM. The impact resulted in the deaths of both the pilot and co-pilot, while at least 13 others were hospitalized, including 11 passengers and two Port Authority officers who were inside the emergency vehicle. Data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft was traveling at a ground speed of roughly 24 mph (39 km/h) at the moment of impact, which caused the nose of the plane to be sheared off and left the airframe tilted upward resting on the wreckage.

     The incident triggered an immediate total ground stop by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), shuttering the airport and forcing the diversion of nearly 20 flights to nearby hubs like JFK and Newark. As reported by The Guardian and CBC News, air traffic control recordings captured a controller frantically shouting, "Stop, stop, stop, Truck 1!" just seconds before the collision; the truck had reportedly been cleared to cross the runway while responding to a separate, unrelated emergency. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has since launched a "Go Team" led by Chair Jennifer Homendy to investigate the runway incursion, with preliminary reports citing heavy rain and poor visibility as potential contributing factors to the communication breakdown.