In March, a collision between an Air Canada plane and a rescue vehicle resulted in the deaths of both pilots and multiple injuries.
Several human errors and equipment failures led to the collision between the Jazz Aviation-operated CRJ-900 for Air Canada and the rescue vehicle at New York-LaGuardia Airport, as revealed in a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday.
According to the initial findings of the investigation, a key mistake was the air traffic controller’s authorization for the operators of the truck to cross the runway while the plane was approaching. The controller realized the error a few seconds later and instructed the rescuers to stop by shouting “stop stop stop.” However, one of the truck’s crew members initially did not understand who the message was directed to, as reported by the NTSB.
“He then heard ‘Truck 1, stop, stop, stop’ and understood that it was meant for them, realizing they had penetrated the runway. But it was too late to prevent the accident,” the report continued.
The report also highlighted the absence of a transponder on the rescue vehicle, which investigators believe could have automatically alerted the air traffic controller about a potential collision course between the plane and the truck.
The accident occurred at night in a busy operational environment, while multiple teams were simultaneously responding to another emergency at the airport, with partially disrupted radio communications.
LaGuardia is the third airport serving New York, with 32.8 million passengers in 2025, according to Port Authority figures.
