&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Stop, stop, stop': Air Canada plane collides with firetruck in New York City's LaGuardia airport - VIDEO")
An Air Canada Express plane flying from Montreal collided with a ground vehicle upon landing at New York's La Guardia Airport on Monday (Mar 23), news agency Reuters reported after tracking the flight via FlightRadar24. The flight was identified as Air Canada Express CRJ-900. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop for all planes at the airport until 0530 GMT, according to a notice from the regulator. The FAA notice showed that the reason for the halt at the airport was an emergency and there was a high probability of an extension, without specifying any details. The New York Fire Department confirmed the incident, stating that its crews responded immediately after collision. Authorities have not yet issued a detailed statement about the cause of the incident or updates about injuries.
In a separate notice to airmen, the FAA said that the airport could be shut until 1800 GMT. Unverified footage on social media showed damage to the nose of the plane. WION could not immediately verify the footage. According to flight-tracking data, the collision may have involved Air Canada CRJ flight AC8646 and a fire truck identified as Truck 1 while attempting to cross runway 04/22. New York's emergency management authority on X warned people to "expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays & emergency personnel" near the major transport hub in the borough of Queens and asked people to use alternate routes. All departring flights from LaGuardia had been either delayed or canceled as of early Monday, the airport's website showed.
Meanwhile, audio from the air traffic control (ATC) tower has surfaced on social media, capturing frantic moments before the incident, with officials repeatedly shouting, “Stop, stop, stop!” Flight tracking visuals from LaGuardia show routine coordination of aircraft movements before one controller urgently warns, “Stop Truck 1. Stop, stop, stop.” Despite the repeated alerts, the ground vehicle appears to collide with the aircraft. Following the impact, ATC quickly instructs nearby and incoming flights to divert or turn back.
According to a report in the New York Post, four firefighters were reportedly injured in the collision and are said to be in critical condition.
