Tragic Collision at LaGuardia: Two Pilots Lost in Catastrophic Crash

Tue Mar 24 2026 15:15:03 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A devastating collision between an Air Canada flight and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport resulted in the loss of two pilots and left over 40 others injured. An investigation is underway to uncover the circumstances of the incident.

Late on Sunday, Air Canada flight AC8646 collided with a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport, resulting in the deaths of the two pilots, identified as Antoine Forest and one unnamed individual. The incident has raised serious concerns about airport safety and operations, prompting investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with many passengers scrambling to safety following the crash.

Air Canada flight AC8646's collision with a fire truck on a LaGuardia Airport runway late on Sunday killed the plane's two pilots, injured dozens of others, and left passengers and witnesses stunned and stranded.

We were literally like 100 metres away, said 23-year-old Leo Medina, who was onboard another plane on the tarmac when the crash happened. It was like the plane got cut in half.

He told the BBC his plane then returned to the gate and that he had been waiting in the New York airport for more than 12 hours, sleeping on the floor on a bed of jackets.

In addition to killing the two pilots, the incident, which happened at 23:40 local time on Sunday (03:40 GMT on Monday), injured 41 people who were taken to hospital, some with serious injuries, and shut LaGuardia until Monday afternoon.

After visiting the crash site, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said he was reminded of the importance of wearing seat belts - on an aircraft or in any other mode of transportation. As you see from last night, they do save lives, Duffy said during a news conference.

Québec native Antoine Forest, 30, was identified as one of the Air Canada pilots who died in the collision, according to Canadian media reports. The other pilot has not yet been named.

These were two young men at the start of their career, so it's an absolute tragedy, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Bran Bedford said.

Passenger Rebecca Liquori, who was on the plane arriving from Montreal when it hit the truck, told News12 Long Island there was a loud boom just after it landed.

As we were descending, we hit a lot of turbulence, she said. Then we landed very roughly… Everyone felt it. It was like the plane jolted and you heard the pilot try to brake trying to prevent the collision.

Liquori described passengers helping each other slide down a wing to get out. I'm just happy to be alive, she said. I would have never pictured a one-hour flight that I've done countless times ending like this.

The crash has undoubtedly brought attention to the ongoing challenges faced in air travel, particularly regarding safety protocols and personnel management amid administrative difficulties.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun an investigation with a team on-site analyzing the incident as passengers recover from their harrowing experience.