US investigators are decoding the black box from an Air Canada Express plane that collided with a fire truck shortly after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport to determine what caused the first deadly accident at the airport in more than 30 years.
The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder have been recovered and sent to Washington DC, said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Safety Transportation Board, during a news conference Monday evening.
“At this point in the investigation, we have questions on everything,” she said.
The captain and co-pilot died in the collision that occurred at about 11:40 p.m., the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said early Monday. More than 43 people were transported to the hospital and many have been released, Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told reporters in a briefing Monday afternoon.
The airport reopened at 2 p.m. local time, although the Port Authority warned travelers to expect residual delays and cancellations.
The plane, which took off from Montreal, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew, Jazz Aviation LP, which was operating the flight, said in a statement. The aircraft hit a Port Authority fire truck shortly after touching down and came to a standstill about halfway down the runway.
Homendy said the runway where the collision occurred will be closed for “some time.”
“It's been a real challenge to get the entire team here, and they're still arriving as I speak,” she said during the brief news conference, referring to long airport security lines amid a partial US government shutdown. NTSB has completed a walking inspection of the crash scene, she said, and would provide more information about the crash on Tuesday.
Photos from the scene showed the front section of the plane, including the cockpit, sheared off, with debris dangling from the nose section. A demolished yellow rig lay behind the plane.
ALSO READ: Air Canada Express Plane Hits Ground Vehicle At New York LaGuardia, Flights Halted
A recording of the air traffic control communication at the time of the LaGuardia incident shows “Truck 1 and company” requested to cross runway 4, which was where the Air Canada jet was due to land. The truck was responding to an emergency declared minutes earlier by a United Airlines Holdings Inc. flight, which reported a sickly smell in the cabin.
A subsequent unidentified voice, likely an air traffic controller, told Truck 1 to “cross 4 at delta.” Subsequently, the unidentified voice said “stop, stop, stop, stop Truck 1, stop, stop stop. Stop Truck 1.”
The unidentified controller then said to the pilots: “I see you collided with a vehicle there. Just hold position. I know you can't move. Vehicles responding to you now.”
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Homendy said a controller involved in such an incident would typically “be removed from duty.”
“Certainly it's pretty traumatic for that air traffic controller,” she said. “And we'll want to interview that air traffic controller as well as others that were in the tower, maybe not even in the tower.”
Poor weather had caused flight disruptions at LaGuardia earlier Sunday. The aircraft involved in the collision was a 20-year-old CRJ-900LR, records show, according to Flightradar24.
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney said officials from his country were also helping with the investigation.
LaGuardia is the New York region's third-busiest airport and handles more than 30 million passengers each year, primarily on domestic flights. About 600 flights were canceled as of Monday evening, according to FlightAware.
Monday's accident is the third major commercial aviation accident on US soil in just 15 months. In January 2025, an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet collided with a military helicopter near Washington, leaving no survivors.
That was one of the deadliest US air disasters in decades and put more scrutiny on the long-running shortage of air traffic controllers.
In November, a United Parcel Service Inc. cargo jet crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky. At least seven people were killed.
The NTSB is also investigating a close call at Newark last week in which an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 overflew a FedEx Corp. Boeing 777 while both were attempting to land on crossing runways.
Runway incursions are more common than air collisions, and there were 97 such incidents at US airports in January, according to the FAA.
Sunday's incident adds to a string of fatal accidents and near-misses that has pushed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to implement reforms of air traffic control technology and his workforce to boost safety standards — moves that will cost billions of dollars.
Also Monday, the Trump administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to 13 airports to assist with security screenings amid a congressional fight over Department of Homeland Security funding. A reduced screening workforce has led to hours-long waits in line for travelers.
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