March 25, 2026 / 11:22 PM EDT / CBS/AP
All but four of the passengers injured in Sunday’s collision between an Air Canada jet and a Port Authority fire truck have been released from hospitals, the airline said Wednesday, as crews began removing the mangled aircraft from a LaGuardia runway.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it is working to reopen the runway “no later than Friday morning.” A spokesperson said the plane and truck are being removed and the runway will be inspected to ensure it meets FAA safety regulations. The fire truck was moved to a secure location as evidence in the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
Air Canada said authorities released the plane’s debris and its crews will move the aircraft “as soon as it is safe, to a secured hangar.” The airline is cooperating with the NTSB probe.
Since Monday, much of the wreckage had blocked one of LaGuardia’s two runways. Just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, workers began towing the remnants away. Two heavy tow trucks worked in tandem to pull the jet’s tail, which had been set on a large dolly and towed by long tethers, while earlier crews cut away much of the destroyed nose. The middle of the plane rode on its intact landing gear. The badly damaged fire truck, which had been on its side, was also righted.
The crash killed the two pilots. About 40 people were treated at area hospitals for injuries ranging from minor to serious; four remained hospitalized Wednesday. The flight, which originated in Montreal, had 76 people on board, including crew. Seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller had cleared the truck to cross the runway.
Many onboard escaped after the impact; one flight attendant survived after being thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped into her seat. The two deceased pilots have been identified as Capt. Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther. Passenger Clément Lelièvre praised the pilots’ quick reactions, saying they braked hard just as the plane touched down.
The two Port Authority Police Department firefighters in the truck survived.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told CNN that investigators interviewed the air traffic controller who was directing traffic during the crash late Tuesday and conducted additional interviews Wednesday with the other controller on duty, the controller in charge, the air traffic manager and the operations supervisor. Homendy said the workload for the two controllers on shift at the time was “concerning,” noting an emergency and multiple flights contributed to a high workload.
A CBS News review of reports dating to 2000 found pilots have long complained of controller miscommunication and close calls with ground vehicles at LaGuardia. The FAA’s runway incursion database shows at least 132 incidents at LaGuardia since 2000, including 17 involving maintenance, snow or support vehicles on runways when they should not have been.