Air Canada Flight Collides With Vehicle on LaGuardia Airport Runway, Prompting Ground Stop

New York. An "airport emergency" was declared at New York's LaGuardia Airport after an Air Canada aircraft collided with a vehicle on the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a "ground stop," halting all takeoffs and landings at the airport following the incident.

According to the New York City Fire Department, rescue teams were mobilized immediately after receiving notification around 11:38 PM local time that the aircraft and a truck had collided on the runway. Flight tracking site 'FlightRadar24' indicated that the aircraft was Air Canada Flight number 8646, operated by regional carrier Jazz. The aircraft, a 76-seat capacity Mitsubishi CRJ-900 model, had departed from Montreal Trudeau International Airport at 10:30 PM.

The terrifying moment of the accident was captured in audio recordings obtained from the airport's Air Traffic Control (ATC). In the recording, a controller is heard shouting "Stop" just seconds after granting permission for an operations truck to cross the runway. However, by then, the aircraft and the truck had already collided. 

Videos shared on social media show significant damage to the front section of the aircraft's cockpit, with emergency vehicles surrounding the plane. It was reported that visibility was low and the weather was poor around the airport at the time of the accident due to light rain and fog. 

The National Transportation Safety Board has stated that it has been notified of the incident and is preparing to launch an investigation. Further details regarding the condition of the passengers on board and the truck driver are yet to be released.