Air Canada LaGuardia crash update: safety board points to missed "stop" call

A firefighter driving a truck that collided with an Air Canada Express jet at New York’s LaGuardia Airport last month heard an air traffic controller shout “stop, stop, stop” but did not realize the warning was directed at his vehicle, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

The March 22 crash killed both pilots aboard the CRJ900 regional jet, which had arrived from Montreal, and injured dozens more.

As reported by CityNews, according to the report, the fire truck had been cleared to cross the runway just seconds before the aircraft touched down. 

However, the vehicle began moving while runway entrance lights, designed to signal vehicles to stop, were still illuminated.

Investigators said the truck was not equipped with a transponder, limiting the control tower’s ability to track its position. 

As a result, a key runway-incursion alert system did not detect the developing conflict or issue a warning.

An aviation safety expert reviewing the findings said the incident involved multiple missed opportunities to prevent the collision, including potential action by air traffic control, the fire crew and the flight crew.

The report indicates the controller initially instructed the truck to stop before issuing a more urgent call directed specifically at “Truck 1.” 

By that point, the vehicle had already entered the runway as Flight 8646 was landing at a speed of approximately 104 mph. 

The fire truck was travelling about 30 mph.

The truck was part of a convoy responding to an unrelated emergency involving a strong odour on a United Airlines aircraft. 

The controller authorized the crossing roughly 12 seconds before the Air Canada jet landed, then attempted to halt the truck about eight seconds later.

The aircraft was carrying 76 people. 

Pilots Antoine Forest, 30, and Mackenzie Gunther, 24, were killed. Thirty-nine others were taken to hospital, including six with serious injuries.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it is reviewing the NTSB’s findings and evaluating its safety procedures.

Investigators also noted the airport was operating at a higher-than-usual volume that night due to earlier delays, with flights arriving every few minutes. 

Controllers were simultaneously managing aircraft movements and coordinating the emergency response, contributing to a high workload in the tower.

LaGuardia is equipped with advanced surface monitoring technology designed to prevent runway incursions, but the system did not trigger an alert. 

Investigators said radar limitations and the absence of transponders on ground vehicles meant the system could not accurately track all vehicles involved.

The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing.

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