Air Canada Plane Crash at LaGuardia: What the New Investigation Reveals
August 28, 2026 Team Contributor
Five months after the unfortunate Air Canada plane crash that killed two pilots at LaGuardia Airport, new details have emerged about what transpired in the control tower that night.
Reports now confirm two air traffic control staff left work early that day, leaving the critical space understaffed. The revelation adds a troubling new chapter to an already high-profile Air Canada crash investigation.
An initial April report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board pointed to system failure and communication issues as the cause of the Air Canada LaGuardia crash
What happened on March 22
Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was landing at LaGuardia after a short flight from Montreal. It was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Just after 11:30 p.m., a LaGuardia air traffic control officer cleared the jet to land.
Just a few minutes later, the same controller cleared a Port Authority fire truck to cross the active runway. The truck was responding to a separate incident elsewhere at the airport. This accident, Air Canada’s most serious in years, unfolded in under two minutes.
The jet struck the truck moments after touchdown. Both pilots were killed. Dozens of passengers, crew members and the two firefighters on the truck were injured, with several hospitalised. LaGuardia shut down for roughly 14 hours, and hundreds of flights were cancelled.
Audio from the tower captured the controller repeatedly, almost 12 times in the fleeting 10 seconds or so, warning the truck to stop just moments before the impact. The truck did not respond in time.
What the Air Canada crash investigation so far tells us
The Wall Street Journal first reported, and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has since confirmed, that two air traffic control officers on duty that night clocked out roughly an hour before their shifts ended. Now it seems like a case of human complacency. Their early exit left the tower’s remaining staff without backup during a busy overnight period. The FAA is reportedly seeking to fire both controllers involved, who are currently on leave.
While the final report will take at least 6 months, the new findings in the Air Canada plane crash are startling.
Separately, the NTSB found the fire truck itself lacked a transponder, which limited the tower’s ability to track its position on the runway in real time. Investigators also recovered cockpit voice and flight data recordings, which they are reviewing as part of the ongoing probe.
The lenses on staffing concerns
Air traffic control staffing has been a persistent concern across major U.S. airports, and this crash has intensified that scrutiny. LaGuardia Airport had not recorded a fatal accident in more than three decades before this incident, making the staffing failure especially notable to aviation safety experts. WestJet
For travellers, the immediate impact has been indirect rather than ongoing. LaGuardia resumed operations within a day of the crash, though the affected runway remained closed for repairs. There is no current disruption to Air Canada or Jazz Aviation service tied to this investigation.
What travellers should know going forward
The news coincides with a recent incident where a ground crew worker at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport died after being hit by an aircraft.
The Air Canada crash investigation remains active, and findings so far point to human error and staffing gaps rather than any mechanical issue with the aircraft.
Canadian travellers flying through LaGuardia can expect continued regulatory attention on air traffic control staffing levels in the months ahead, as the FAA and NTSB work through their respective reviews.
This accident involving Air Canada has already prompted renewed calls for staffing reform at LaGuardia. However, no changes to Air Canada’s own operations or safety protocols have been announced as a result of the findings so far.
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