NEW YORK — Newly released Air Traffic Control (ATC) recordings have provided a haunting glimpse into the final moments before an Air Canada Express flight collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport. The audio captures a desperate, last-second attempt by controllers to prevent the disaster that claimed the lives of two Canadian pilots and left dozens injured.
According to the recordings, the chaos began as Air Canada Flight 8646, a Bombardier CRJ-900 arriving from Montreal, was cleared for landing. At the same time, “Truck 1,” a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle, had entered the active runway. The fire truck was reportedly responding to a separate emergency alert from another aircraft. As the jet bore down the runway at approximately 39 km/h (24 mph) during its landing roll, the controller realized the vehicle was in the plane’s direct path, screaming, “Stop, stop… Truck 1, stop!” over the radio.
The collision was unavoidable. The nose of the aircraft was completely crushed upon impact, instantly killing the pilot and co-pilot, both Canadian nationals. While the cockpit bore the brunt of the force, the 72 passengers and crew members on board were evacuated in what officials described as a “harrowing” rescue operation. Emergency responders confirmed that 41 individuals were transported to various hospitals in Queens for treatment of injuries ranging from minor to critical.
The investigation has now pivoted toward a potential breakdown in communication between the control tower and ground staff. In a particularly revealing segment of the audio, a controller can be heard emotionally admitting to a mistake over the radio shortly after the impact. This admission is expected to be a focal point for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as they reconstruct the timeline of the runway incursion.
Investigators are currently analyzing why the fire truck was positioned on an active runway during a scheduled landing and whether the heavy rain and fog at the time contributed to the controller’s delayed reaction. LaGuardia remains under intense scrutiny as the NTSB works to determine if technical failures or human error led to this rare and deadly ground collision.
