Air Canada flight 8646: What Happened
On March 22nd, 2026 at 23:40 local time, Air Canada Flight 8646 touched down at LaGuardia airport in New York City, USA. Going at well over 100 mph on the runway, it collided with a fire truck, smashing the cabin and killing the pilot, Antoine Forest, and the copilot, Mackenzie Gunther.
There were a total of 72 passengers and 4 crew onboard the Bombardier CRJ-900LR regional jet. In total, 40 people sustained injuries, including two firefighters in the truck that survived.
Solange Tremblay, a flight attendant, was ejected from the plane as it collided with the 70,000-lb truck, hurling her nearly 300 feet, but miraculously survived.
How it Happened
The accident was caused in part due to a tragic miscommunication during an accident response. United Flight 2384, a Boeing 737 MAX, had aborted takeoff twice due to an anti-ice warning light. After the second attempt, the pilot reported a strange odor that was sickening flight attendants.
At 11:31 pm, the pilots declared an emergency and requested fire assistance. An Air Traffic Controller, one of only two on duty that night, dispatched fire rescue to the scene and worked to coordinate a gate.
25 seconds before impact, Truck 1, one of the responding emergency vehicles, requested to cross the runway: "Truck 1 and company, requesting to cross 4 at Delta".
20 seconds before impact, the controller gave them the green light: "Truck 1 and company, cross 4 at Delta".
17 seconds before impact, Truck 1 acknowledged clearance: "Crossing 4 at Delta, Truck 1".
9 seconds before impact, the controller realized his mistake and began urgently recalling Truck 1: "Stop, stop, stop, stop, Truck 1, stop, stop, stop!".
At 8 seconds before impact, there is audible sound of landing gar touching the ground. The controller issues a final plea: ATC: "Stop, Truck 1, stop!". It is to no avail.
0 Seconds: The plane plows through the center of the fire truck.
In addition to Tremblay's miraculous survival, it's another miracle in itself that the plane hit the truck at just the right place so it didn't ignite the fuel tank, saving countless lives. Nevertheless, the price was paid dearly with two human lives.
This tragedy was the result of understaffing and a terrible oversight. May our thoughts and prayers be with the families of the dead pilots and the traumatized passengers and fire truck crew.
