by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:40 PM ET, Tue March 24, 2026
UPDATED March 24, 2026 at 2:42 p.m. ET
As of Tuesday, March 24, LaGuardia International Airport is operating once again, though FlightAware is reporting several hundred delays and cancellations due to the crash that caused the airport to pause operations on Monday, March 23.
New details are emerging following the deadly Air Canada crash that left two pilots dead. One flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, was ejected in her jump seat during the crash and was found over 320 feet away from the aircraft. Tremblay was taken to the hospital for broken bones and will need surgery, but her survival is considered miraculous.
Local ABC affiliate ABC7 reported that there were other airport first responders following the first firetruck, which caused the crash when it crossed the runway that Flight 8646 was just touching down on, causing the two to collide. The other first responders, who'd all been called out to respond to a previous incident, rushed to aid those within the plane and firetruck.
"The members of the Port Authority PBA are saddened by the deaths of the two Air Canada Flight 8646 pilots and offer their sincere condolences to their families," the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association said in part in a statement. "The Port Authority PBA is also thankful and grateful that the Port Authority police officer and sergeant are in stable condition. We hope for their complete recoveries."
The FAA and NTSB are both investigating the incident. An NTSB air traffic control specialist was delayed in reaching the crash site in Houston due to the partial government shutdown, getting stuck for three hours at the airport's TSA line. According to The Hill, NTSB investigators are still making their way to LaGuardia to start their investigation, hampered by travel delays.
ORIGINAL TEXT
New York’s LaGuardia Airport was closed Monday after an Air
Canada Express plane crashed into a firetruck on Sunday night, killing the
jet’s two pilots and leaving nine others hospitalized with “serious injuries.”
According to Reuters.com,
Air Canada Flight 8646 landed in New York at around 11:45 p.m. ET from Montreal,
Canada, with four crew members and 72 passengers when the incident occurred.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Executive
Director Kathryn Garcia said the plane—an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane
operated by regional partner Jazz Aviation—was cleared to land by air traffic
controllers.
At the same time, a firetruck at LaGuardia was responding to
an emergency landing of a United Airlines plane that had “reported an issue
with odor.” Air traffic controllers cleared the truck to cross Runway 4, which
is where the two vehicles collided.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 reported that the plane
was traveling at around 24 miles per hour when it struck the firetruck on
LaGuardia’s taxiway “Delta.”
Executive Director Garcia said 32 of the 41 injured had been
released, but nine remained hospitalized, and two pilots were killed in the
accident. Two officers from the firetruck also remain hospitalized with
“non-life-threatening injuries.”
As a result of the crash, the United States National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a formal investigation, and the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has shut down the New York City airport
until at least 2 p.m. ET on Monday.
According to FlightAware.com,
over 500 flights to and from LaGuardia Airport have been canceled as of 8 a.m.
ET on Monday, with more cancellations and delays expected throughout the day.
Travelers are advised to contact their airline before arriving at the facility.
Canadian Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon told Reuters
that the government was working closely with U.S. authorities “as they
investigate this incident, and we are following developments closely.”
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