A flight attendant who was thrown from Air Canada Flight 8646 is reportedly among the injured following the crash of a Bombardier CRJ-900 and fire truck at LaGuardia Airport (KLGA) late Sunday night.
The collision killed the passenger jet’s pilot and copilot and reportedly injured 41 people, though Air Canada in a statement Monday could not confirm the number of injured.
CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz reported Monday morning that the female flight attendant is “injured” and hospitalized but “likely to survive.” Both CNN and WNBC-TV in New York reported that Port Authority of New York and New Jersey law enforcement found the attendant strapped in her jumpseat outside the aircraft.
“Our hearts are with the crew, passengers, and their families on Air Canada Jazz flight 8646,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said in a social media post.
A source told WNBC-TV that the airplane’s engines shut down following the impact, allowing emergency personnel to escort passengers out of the rear exit. Video shows passengers crossing LaGuardia’s Runway 4—where an air traffic controller (ATC) cleared the fire truck to cross moments before the collision—as emergency vehicles swarm the scene.
Canadian investigators are working with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to understand the “deeply saddening” incident, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday.
One passenger on the CRJ told WABC-TV in New York that another passenger on the flight’s “nose was totally broken and bleeding on his face.”
“A lot of people smacked their head against the seat in front of them,” the passenger said.
Thirty-nine passengers on the Air Canada flight reportedly suffered injuries, some severe, in addition to two people in the fire truck. Per the Associated Press, some passengers who were hospitalized with injuries have been released.
LaGuardia will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. EDT Monday, the FAA said. Many flights are being diverted to nearby airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey.
LaGuardia ATC: ‘I Messed Up’
The ATC who cleared the fire truck to cross Runway 4 appeared to take responsibility for the fatal incident.
“That was…that wasn’t good to watch,” the pilot of Frontier Airlines Flight 4195 told the controller about 15 minutes after the collision, according to LiveATC audio.
“Yeah, I know. I was here,” the controller replied. “We were dealing with an emergency earlier, and…I messed up.”
“No, man, you did the best you could,” the Frontier pilot responded.
Citing two sources, WNBC-TV on Monday reported that the controller was handling multiple positions at the time of impact. Per ATC audio, he appeared to be managing both ground traffic and arrivals, directing a Delta Air Lines flight to make a go-around after the collision.
The nationwide ATC system is short more than 3,000 controllers, and many have reported taking on multiple responsibilities throughout a shift. The tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) was similarly short-staffed during the fatal collision of American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army helicopter in early 2025, though the NTSB determined staffing was only one of many factors that led to the incident.