BLACK mobile logo

united states

'Like the plane got cut in half': LaGuardia crash that killed two pilots now under investigation

March 23, 2026

An Air Canada flight arriving from Montreal collided with a fire truck on a LaGuardia Airport runway late Sunday night, resulting in the deaths of both pilots and injuries to 41 others. The fire truck had been responding to an unrelated odor issue when air traffic control could be heard shouting for it to stop moments before impact. Passengers described a chaotic scene with turbulence, a rough landing, and a loud boom that threw people from their seats before they evacuated down the plane's wing.

Who is affected

  • The two Air Canada pilots who were killed (Antoine Forest, 30, identified; second pilot unnamed)
  • 41 people transported to hospitals with injuries, some serious
  • A flight attendant who fell through the aircraft floor with serious but non-life threatening injuries
  • Two people in the fire truck who were hospitalized
  • Passengers on flight AC8646 from Montreal
  • Leo Medina and other passengers stranded at LaGuardia for over 12 hours
  • Hundreds of travelers facing delayed or cancelled flights at LaGuardia Airport
  • TSA agents working without pay for over a month
  • NTSB investigators experiencing delays due to TSA understaffing

What action is being taken

  • The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an investigation with a team that arrived at approximately 3:00 AM local time
  • Investigators are analyzing the plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder
  • The team is documenting, collecting, and processing debris as evidence
  • The runway remains closed for the investigation
  • Hospitals are treating the injured passengers

Why it matters

  • This is the first fatal incident at LaGuardia Airport in over 34 years, highlighting rare but serious safety concerns at one of the busiest airports in the United States. The crash underscores the critical importance of runway safety protocols and coordination between aircraft and ground vehicles. The incident also reveals how ongoing government shutdowns affecting TSA operations can have cascading effects on aviation safety infrastructure, as even NTSB investigators experienced three-hour security delays while responding to this emergency. The collision has caused significant travel disruption and raised questions about airport safety procedures during an already turbulent period for air travel.

What's next

  • The NTSB investigation will continue with analysis of flight recorders and debris collection
  • The runway will remain closed until the investigation is complete
  • Officials will need to identify the second deceased pilot
  • Hospital patients will continue receiving treatment and be released as conditions improve

Read full article from source: BBC