A shocking new air traffic control (ATC) audio clip circulating online captures the tense seconds leading up to a late-night collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
The recording appears to document the frantic attempts of controllers to stop a ground vehicle from crossing an active runway — moments before an Air Canada Express plane struck it.
”Stop, stop, stop, stop..”
In the clip, controllers can be heard shouting urgently:
“Stop, stop, stop. Stop, Truck 1, stop!”
The audio begins with what seems like a routine clearance for the vehicle:
“Truck 1 and Company, LaGuardia Tower, requesting to cross at 4 at Delta. Truck 1 and Company, cross 4 at Delta. Truck 1 and Company, crossing 4 at Delta.”
But within seconds, the situation escalates:
“Frontier 4195, just stop there, please. Stop, stop, stop, stop, Truck 1, stop, stop, stop. Stop, Truck 1, stop.”
Following the collision, controllers immediately focus on preventing further accidents:
“Delta 2603, go around, runway heading 2000.”
“Jazz 646, I see you collide with a vehicle.”
“Hold position, I know you can’t move. The vehicle is responding to you now.”
“Runway 4-2-2 is closed at this time. I repeat, runway 4-2-2 is closed at this time.”
“LaGuardia Airport is closed at this time.”
The incident involved an Air Canada CRJ-900 jet arriving from Montreal with roughly 80 to 100 passengers on board.
According to Flightradar24, the aircraft struck the vehicle at around 24 mph while taxiing toward the gate just before 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, 2026.
Police said the truck had been responding to a separate incident when the collision occurred, according to the New York Post.
At least four people were critically injured, including two Port Authority police officers assigned to firefighter duty. One is reportedly a sergeant, the other an officer, and both were taken to the hospital.
NBC News also reports that two pilots were killed in the crash.
An Air Canada Express plane sits on the tarmac after it collided with a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, 2026 in New York City. The plane had landed from a flight from Montreal. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Early information suggests the fire truck had been cleared to cross the runway, but controllers urgently ordered it to stop just moments before impact. Poor weather conditions in the area may have also contributed to the incident.
Following the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights in and out of LaGuardia. At least 18 flights were diverted to nearby airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.
Images from the scene show the aircraft stopped on the runway, with visible damage to the forward section consistent with a collision with a large ground vehicle. Investigators are continuing to determine what went wrong in the critical seconds leading up to the crash.
