LaGuardia plane crash: Wild footage and audio emerges of catastrophic moment Air Canada plane hits fire truck
Wild new footage and flight controller audio has emerged, with a man heard yelling moments before a plane crashed into a fire truck on a New York runway. WARNING: Distressing content.
WARNING: Distressing content. Footage and audio has surfaced after a plane crashed into a truck on a New York runway, killing two.
Two pilots were killed and dozens more injured after a Air Canada passenger jet collided with a fire truck while landing at La Guardia Airport on Sunday evening local time (2.40pm Monday AEDT).
The force of the impact tore off the cockpit and flung a flight attendant, still strapped into her seat, away from the wreckage, her daughter told Canadian media. The attendant survived.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The fire truck had been crossing the tarmac just before midnight after being cleared to respond to another aircraft that had reported an odour onboard.
Audio from air traffic control reveals the chaos in the moments before the crash, with a controller urgently warning the fire truck to stop, repeatedly yelling “stop, stop, stop!”
About 20 minutes later, the same controller appeared to take responsibility, saying: “We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up.”
The person on the other end can be heard saying “you did your best”.
Port Authority executive director Kathryn Garcia confirmed the two pilot deaths and said 41 passengers, along with two fire truck workers, were taken to hospital.
She said 32 people have since been released, while several others remain hospitalised with serious injuries. The two Port Authority workers are in a stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Listen to the audio:
Watch the video:
The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 40km/h, according to said flight tracking website Flightradar24.
Photos taken by Reuters after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.
LaGuardia served more than 30 million annual passengers in 2025, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a wide range of US airlines operate at the airport.
LaGuardia Airport has since reopened, but runway four, where the tragic incident occurred, will remain closed until Friday morning local time, with lengthy delays expected.
with Reuters
