Fire truck heard 'stop, stop, stop' before deadly LaGuardia crash but didn't know warning was for them: NTSB

Source: CBC

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Fire truck heard 'stop, stop, stop' before deadly LaGuardia crash but didn't know warning was for them: NTSB

Lack of transponders on emergency vehicles played a role in collision, preliminary report finds

Rhianna Schmunk · CBC News · Posted: Apr 23, 2026 3:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

https://i.cbc.ca/ais/9f354272-ff43-479e-9bda-974dfccca1be,1776973895676/full/max/0/default.jpg
The wreckage of a fire truck is seen at LaGuardia airport on March 23, after it collided with an Air Canada Express jet the night before. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

The National Transportation Safety Board has published its preliminary report on last month's deadly crash involving an Air Canada jet and a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia airport, concluding communication failures and a lack of transponders in the truck played roles in the collision.

The report released Thursday said the truck's driver heard instructions to "stop, stop, stop" over the radio, but did not realize the message was intended for them.

The fire truck's turret operator then heard the controller say, “Truck 1, stop, stop, stop,” and realized the warning was for their vehicle. By then, the report said, the truck was already on Runway 4 as Air Canada Express Flight 8646 was landing.

Pilots Mackenzie Gunther and Antoine Forest were killed when the jet and the truck collided seconds after the plane touched down. More than 30 people were hurt, including six who had serious injuries.

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Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ntsb-laguardia-crash-preliminary-report-fire-truck-stop-stop-stop-9.7175074

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A fatal crash at LaGuardia Airport was caused by multiple breakdowns in communications and safety technology, a preliminary safety investigation report says.

Missing Safety Technology Might Have Stopped LaGuardia Jet Crash, NTSB Says
Firetruck driver in runway disaster heard warnings to stop, but didn’t know they were meant for him, preliminary report says.
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4:20 PM · Apr 23, 2026
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A fatal crash at LaGuardia Airport was caused by multiple breakdowns in communications and safety technology, a preliminary safety investigation report says.

— The Wall Street Journal (@wsj.com) 2026-04-23T20:20:17.040020Z