Communication errors preceded the fatal collision between a plane and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in late March.
April 24, 2026, 1:33 p.mApril 24, 2026, 1:33 p.m
According to an interim report from the US Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the lack of technology for an automatic warning system on the airport’s fire engines also played a role. The incident occurred late in the evening of March 22nd, shortly after an Air Canada plane landed. As a result of the collision, both pilots were killed. 39 people were injured, six of them seriously.
The March Collision:
Video: watson/Elena Maria Müller
The 15-page report is preliminary and does not establish a definitive cause. But he describes that the experienced air traffic controller in the tower was coordinating air and ground traffic at the same time as he authorized the fire truck to cross the tarmac. About two minutes earlier, the air traffic controller gave the plane permission to land. According to the report, the occupants of the fire truck heard stop calls over the radio at the last second, but did not realize in time that these instructions were aimed at them.
In addition to communication, technology also played a role
The report also states that transponders were missing from the airport’s emergency vehicles. According to investigators, the warning systems used could not detect that the aircraft and vehicle were on a collision course. According to the New York Times, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommended last year that airports equip their emergency vehicles with such technology.
The flight from Montreal, operated by Jazz Aviation, was a Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft. There were 72 passengers and 4 crew members on board. (sda/dpa)