“Stop, Truck One, Stop!” Chilling Tower Audio Captures Final Seconds Before Deadly LaGuardia Crash

A pilot and co-pilot were killed after an Air Canada Express passenger jet collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, in a crash now being described as the airport's deadliest since 1992. At least 13 others were injured in the collision, including two firefighters, as US and Canadian investigators opened a formal probe into what went wrong.

CCTV Captures Moment Of Impact At LaGuardia

Airport CCTV footage showed the final seconds before the crash, with the aircraft and the fire truck moving on adjacent paths before converging at a runway intersection. The collision sent the fire engine rolling over, while the plane skidded forward with smoke billowing from it.

The crash happened at 11:38 pm local time in the Queens borough of New York City. The aircraft involved was a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada's regional partner, which had arrived from Montreal as Flight 8646. It struck a Port Authority Police Department fire engine as the truck crossed its path on Runway 4.

According to flight tracking platform FlightRadar24, the aircraft was moving at around 24 miles per hour (39 kph) when it hit the truck.

76 People Were On Board The Flight

Jazz Aviation confirmed that 76 people were on board the plane, including four crew members.

"76 people were on board the flight, including four crew members," Jazz Aviation said in a statement.

Authorities said the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the impact. At least 13 people were injured, among them two firefighters. Emergency responders rushed to the scene as smoke rose from the damaged aircraft and the overturned truck.

Air Traffic Audio Reveals Urgent Warning Before Crash

Air traffic control recordings have now become central to the investigation. The audio suggests the fire truck had been cleared to cross the runway while responding to another emergency, before controllers desperately tried to stop it seconds before impact.

The transcript reads:

"Frontier 4195, stop there, please. (Pause.) Stop, stop, stop, truck one, stop, stop, stop. Stop, truck one, stop! Stop, truck one, stop."

An alarm then sounds.

"Jazz 646. Jazz 646, I see you collided with a vehicle. (Inaudible) Hold position. I know he can't move. Vehicles are responding to you now."

Shortly afterwards, another controller can be heard reacting to the horrifying scene.

"Man, that wasn't good to watch."

The first controller then appears to acknowledge a grave error, saying:

"Yeah, I know. I was here. I tried to reach out to my staff. And we were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up."

Trump And Carney React As Investigation Begins

Reacting to the crash, US President Donald Trump called the incident "terrible" and said, "They made a mistake. It's a dangerous business."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also offered condolences, saying the tragedy was "deeply saddening" and confirming that Canadian officials are working closely with US authorities as the investigation moves forward.

The crash is being treated as one of the most serious aviation incidents at LaGuardia in decades. With the runway collision involving an arriving passenger plane and an emergency response vehicle, investigators are expected to closely examine air traffic control decisions, runway clearance procedures and the emergency conditions unfolding at the airport in the moments before impact.