The fatal crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York was a preventable “clear error,” likely stemming from the Federal Aviation Administration “not doing their job,” according to expert Mary Schiavo, a former Department of Transportation inspector general, who spoke to The New York Post early Monday.
“There are two parts here — there’s the control in the tower, also called local control, and there’s ground control. And those two air traffic control entities are supposed to coordinate with each other,” Schiavo explained. “So clearly they either did not coordinate, or they did and were just wrong. But giving a firetruck clearance across to the runway after an aircraft has been cleared to run in this final is a clear error. There’s just no way around that,” she said.
A regional jet traveling from Montreal, Canada had struck the firetruck on Runway 4 at the Queens LaGuardia Airport before midnight Sunday. The plane, operated by Jazz Aviation, had been ordered to stop to deal with another aircraft. Federal officials said the crash killed the pilot and co-pilot of the plane when it barreled into the emergency vehicle and crushed the plane’s front.
“Who gave the final clearance for that fire truck to cross the runway?” Schiavo questioned, adding that the responsibility should have fallen to the tower. “But clearly … someone made a very critical mistake in allowing a fire truck clearance to cross the runway when an aircraft had been given a landing clearance. That’s my take on it.”
Jack Cabot, a passenger on Air Canada flight AC8646, just told CNN what it was like inside when the CRJ-900 slammed into a fire truck on landing at LaGuardia. He said the impact was brutal…. everyone felt it, chaos erupted, and both pilots were killed instantly. He described… pic.twitter.com/CGOyPX1Cn7
— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) March 23, 2026
Forty-one people suffered injuries at the LaGuardia crash and were taken to hospitals, including two police officers who were aboard the rescue vehicle. Schiavo said communication between controllers seemed to fail, noting there was some confusion between the control tower and ground control when an Air Canada plane hit a firetruck, killing two pilots and injuring dozens.
The crash is still under investigation, but Schiavo drew parallels to last January’s American Airlines collision with a military helicopter over the Potomac River that killed 67 people.
She argued that incident stemmed from a “dereliction of duty” by the FAA and warned similar concerns could be emerging in this case. “I’m afraid we might see some of that same thing here,” said Schiavo, who served as the Department of Transportation’s inspector general from 1990 to 1996.
“I think they’re already recognizing this as yet another instance of the FAA not doing their job and failing to properly coordinate staffing,” Schiavo said.
ATC Audio after an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 slammed into a Port Authority fire truck leaving at least two pilots dead: Air Traffic Controller 1: “That wasn’t good to watch.”
Air Traffic Controller 2: “Yeah, I know. I was here. I tried to reach out… We were dealing with an… pic.twitter.com/80b4b7H4Nv
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) March 23, 2026
Calling the LaGuardia Airport situation both “tragic” and “sad,” she added that the breakdown was, unfortunately, not entirely unexpected. “I’m saddened, but I’m not surprised that we have another coordination problem with air traffic control.” Dramatic air traffic control audio from Sunday night captured the confusion in real time, with one controller admitting they had “messed up.”
Flying at about 24 mph, the plane hit the LaGuardia Airport firetruck with 72 passengers and four crew aboard. One person miraculously survived: A flight attendant, female, escaped through the front of the aircraft after being ejected from her seat and still strapped to her restraint, sources told The New York Post. Police officers from the Port Authority yanked her from the burning wreckage and rushed her to a hospital.
DisasterVision: “I Messed Up.” Airplane Crash ATC Controller Chaos in New York.
📡 What We Know: Deadly accident at LaGuardia Airport when an Air Canada jet collided with a Port Authority vehicle crossing runway.
Authorities have confirmed the pilot and co-pilot died in crash. pic.twitter.com/L5TzvI4g7k
— John Cremeans (@JohnCremeansX) March 23, 2026
Images taken at LaGuardia Airport Monday morning reveal the devastating aftermath, showing the aircraft’s cockpit completely crushed on the runway. Audio captured the tense moments leading up to Sunday’s deadly collision between an Air Canada passenger jet and a firefighting vehicle at LaGuardia Airport — including an air traffic controller later acknowledging they had “messed up.”
As the situation unfolded, controllers instructed another incoming aircraft to abort its landing while the crash was happening on the runway, ultimately leaving the Air Canada pilot and co-pilot dead, according to LiveATC recordings. The LaGuardia Airport firetruck had been authorized to cross Runway 4, but controllers suddenly attempted to halt both the vehicle and a Frontier flight headed to Miami. “Stop, stop, stop, stop,” the controller urgently called out. “Truck 1, stop, stop, stop. Stop, Truck 1. Stop.”
At the same time at LaGuardia Airport, Delta Flight 2603 from Detroit was told to circle back before attention shifted to the Air Canada flight — operated by Jazz Aviation — which had just arrived from Montreal. “Jazz 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now,” the controller said.
Controllers later informed the Frontier crew that the runway would be shut down and asked if they preferred to return to the gate. “We got stuff in progress for that, man, that wasn’t good to watch,” the pilots responded. The controller then admitted, “Yeah, I tried to reach out to ‘em … And we were dealing with an emergency, and I messed up.” Frontier pilots attempted to reassure the controller, replying, “No, you did the best you could.”
Just minutes prior to the horrific accidents, United Flight 2384 pilots aborted takeoff after receiving an anti-ice warning alert. LaGuardia Airport was shut down following the incident, with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board expected to arrive on scene Monday.
