March 25, 2026 / 11:22 PM EDT / CBS/AP
Crews have begun clearing the mangled Air Canada jet from a LaGuardia Airport runway after Sunday’s collision with a Port Authority fire truck, the airline and officials said Wednesday. Air Canada said all but four of the passengers who were treated for injuries have now been released from hospitals.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it aims to reopen the runway “no later than Friday morning.” Officials said the aircraft and the fire truck are being moved and the runway will be inspected to ensure it meets FAA safety standards. The damaged fire truck has been relocated to a secure site as evidence for the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
Authorities released the plane’s debris to Air Canada, and the airline said its crews will move the wreckage “as soon as it is safe, to a secured hangar.” Air Canada is cooperating with the NTSB probe.
Since Monday much of the aircraft had been blocking one of LaGuardia’s two runways. Workers began towing the remains just before 5 p.m. Wednesday. Two heavy tow trucks pulled the jet’s tail, which had been mounted on a large dolly and attached with long tethers, while crews earlier cut away much of the destroyed nose. The center section of the plane rode on its intact landing gear. The fire truck — which had been on its side after the impact — was also righted.
The crash killed the two pilots, identified as Capt. Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther. About 40 people were treated at area hospitals for injuries ranging from minor to serious; four remained hospitalized Wednesday. The flight originated in Montreal and had 76 people on board, including crew.
Seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller had cleared the truck to cross the runway.
Many passengers escaped after the impact. One flight attendant survived after being thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped into her seat. The two Port Authority Police Department firefighters who were in the truck survived.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told CNN that investigators have interviewed the air traffic controller who was directing traffic during the crash and conducted additional interviews 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,” citing an emergency and multiple flights that contributed to high workload levels.
A CBS News review of reports dating back to 2000 found that pilots have long raised concerns about controller miscommunication and close calls with ground vehicles at LaGuardia. The FAA’s runway incursion database lists at least 132 incidents at LaGuardia since 2000, including 17 involving maintenance, snow or support vehicles on runways when they should not have been.