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Nobody "comes in hot". They fly the calculated approach reference speed for their weight and field and weather conditions.

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Southwest pilots had that reputation for many years - higher approach speeds and higher taxi speeds.

fullback44 said:

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Not blaming anyone in specific, but I certainly would want to know if the Air traffic controller was qualified for that job, sure seems there are plenty of people in that field that maybe shouldn't be per general media reports. Who instructs a huge fire truck to go across a live runway? anyway, Im sure the entire story will come out and we will all know these answers so just going to have to sit back and wait see what happened and why

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I've seen several posts by people claiming to be pilots that fly thru LGA often. They say they recognize the ATC's voice and say he's one of the best. Example below...

Airline pilot here:

I’ve made a few posts, for posterity it seems I should combine them so here goes:

I guess I should lead with the fact that I know LGA really, really well -

And having 1 controller working both ground and tower; late… on a Sunday is straight up normal.…

— Damian Lopez (@deelo190) March 23, 2026

that loser is just clickbait trash

Rapier108 said:

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JFABNRGR said:

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lunchbox said:

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JFABNRGR said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Looks legit.

The flight attendant sitting behind the cockpit was found on the tarmac, still strapped to her seat.

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Wow that would likely be the lead FA, leaving a junior FA in charge of the aircraft and emergency evacuation.

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From the reports I read, emergency crews had to open the doors from the outside...the junior FA may not have been able to lead anything after the crash

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Where have all the men gone!

Will be interesting to see the vids come out on who took charge if anyone or was it just pure chaos on board.

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There were a lot of injuries. Very possible between that and shock, no one was able to open the doors before emergency services arrived.

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Thank God there was no fire…..likely would have been far worse tragedy.

Aggie Jurist said:

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Nobody "comes in hot". They fly the calculated approach reference speed for their weight and field and weather conditions.

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Southwest pilots had that reputation for many years - higher approach speeds and higher taxi speeds.

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Taxi speeds, yes they used to have that reputation.

From the looks of the video, the fire truck was not crossing the runway. He was taking a left turn onto the runway. So I'm guessing he thought the runway was closed? Or, if that prior X post was correct and the FT driver was in training, perhaps he was confused and thought he had already crossed the runway and was entering a taxiway?

In the audio, the FT driver asked for and was given permission to CROSS Runway 4. But from the video, he turned ONTO runway 4 and was proceeding down it. He also stated he was crossing the runway about 3-4 seconds before he entered it.

one safe place said:

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infinity ag said:

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I hope they don't get the bright idea of "let's replace all ATCs with AI!" and fire everyone even before the tech has been proven to work 100% (not 99%). But knowing how things work, I won't be surprised if they do it to grab headlines, cut costs and make bonus targets.

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Self-flying aircraft could be the next step from self-driving cars.

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I would never under any circumstances set foot on a pilotless aircraft. Just because you can do something does not mean you should.

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In the audio, the FT driver asked for and was given permission to CROSS Runway 4. But from the video, he turned ONTO runway 4 and was proceeding down it. He also stated he was crossing the runway about 3-4 seconds before he entered it

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He may have been turning away at the last instant, but otherwise, he was not cleared down RWY 4. He was cleared to cross at Delta. That's a very specific clearance and they are trained as to what that clearance means.

Aggie Jurist said:

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In the audio, the FT driver asked for and was given permission to CROSS Runway 4. But from the video, he turned ONTO runway 4 and was proceeding down it. He also stated he was crossing the runway about 3-4 seconds before he entered it

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He may have been turning away at the last instant, but otherwise, he was not cleared down RWY 4. He was cleared to cross at Delta. That's a very specific clearance and they are trained as to what that clearance means.

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I do agree it appears he was turning down runway 4 and maybe it was because he saw the plane at the last second.

However, the D crossing is not perpendicular. It is slanted in the direction he was turning. It could be that the angle of the video makes it look like he was turning while he was just going at the angle of D.

I hate LaGuardia. I would especially be angry if I died there. Everything moves so slow, no one seems to care…..probably will take 3 shifts to get those two bodies of airport grounds.

lunchbox said:

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Aggie Jurist said:

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In the audio, the FT driver asked for and was given permission to CROSS Runway 4. But from the video, he turned ONTO runway 4 and was proceeding down it. He also stated he was crossing the runway about 3-4 seconds before he entered it

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He may have been turning away at the last instant, but otherwise, he was not cleared down RWY 4. He was cleared to cross at Delta. That's a very specific clearance and they are trained as to what that clearance means.

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I do agree it appears he was turning down runway 4 and maybe it was because he saw the plane at the last second.

However, the D crossing is not perpendicular. It is slanted in the direction he was turning. It could be that the angle of the video makes it look like he was turning while he was just going at the angle of D.

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That also could be more accurate that those crossings have a slant to them which The Hubs mentioned to me earlier today. But the other thing is how long it takes to crank that wheel violently around to turn that truck. They don't turn on a dime.

NTSB will hold a media briefing today at 6:00 p.m. ET on the March 22 collision involving Air Canada Express Flight 8646 (Jazz Aviation, CRJ-900) and a firefighting vehicle on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport. 📍 LaGuardia Airport Terminal B Atrium. Livestream link available here:…

— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) March 23, 2026

One other thing I noted, and you guys can confirm. From what I can tell, the United flight that was having the odor issues was on the other runway at the complete opposite end of the airfield, correct? They were having the tower try to get them a gate, and then when that was not available, the ATC's were directing the United flight to a taxiway to stop and wait for assistance. BUT.... The plane turned left when he was asked to turn right. Innocent mistake, but all of that going on had the controllers' attention - on the other side of the airport.

As someone stated earlier, this appears the FTCs went from very busy activity to "activity saturation" due to the emergent issue at the other end of the field. The scenario, though different, reminds me of the recent incident at Reagan where the military had helicopters flying through airport operations airspace. 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag, as it were.

Unfortunate all the way around.

W said:

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how fast was the fire truck going?

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Not very. It would have been starting from a standstill at the hold short line just off the runway and just gathering momentum, and wouldn't have been going all that fast even when up to speed in that environment.

The wrong turn I BELIEVE was Frontier.
United was already holding on a taxiway near runway 13/31

NTSB briefing right now....not much info but she did say that members of the investigation team haven't arrived yet because they've been waiting in TSA lines for hours.

GAC06 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Wonder what the cockpit voice recorder will reveal as to when the pilots perceived the danger until impact. Doubt it was much more than a few seconds given poor visibility.

Further, no idea about that particular carrier but The Hubs has always sad that Southwest pilots tended to come in hot and not slow down that much even when taxiing given their strict time schedules.

The Hubs said he would usually drive at about 15 MPH while on the AOA unless instructed there was a higher level emergency to which they were responding. Either way, they always had full lights going.

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Nobody "comes in hot". They fly the calculated approach reference speed for their weight and field and weather conditions.

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I think she's talking about a high-speed taxi. Not the landing itself.

Not worth the time.

Esteban du Plantier said:

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GAC06 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Wonder what the cockpit voice recorder will reveal as to when the pilots perceived the danger until impact. Doubt it was much more than a few seconds given poor visibility.

Further, no idea about that particular carrier but The Hubs has always sad that Southwest pilots tended to come in hot and not slow down that much even when taxiing given their strict time schedules.

The Hubs said he would usually drive at about 15 MPH while on the AOA unless instructed there was a higher level emergency to which they were responding. Either way, they always had full lights going.

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Nobody "comes in hot". They fly the calculated approach reference speed for their weight and field and weather conditions.

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I think she's talking about a high-speed taxi. Not the landing itself.

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I was. .

fullback44 said:

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Not blaming anyone in specific, but I certainly would want to know if the Air traffic controller was qualified for that job, sure seems there are plenty of people in that field that maybe shouldn't be per general media reports. Who instructs a huge fire truck to go across a live runway? anyway, Im sure the entire story will come out and we will all know these answers so just going to have to sit back and wait see what happened and why

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Someone who is overworked- handling departures, arrivals, ground, clearance, and an emergency all at the same time the accident took place. Yes ultimately the controller sending the truck across the runway will be deemed the cause, but they never should have been in that situation in the first place. ATC staffing has been criminally ignored for as many administrations as I can remember including Biden, Trump I, Obama, and Bush. Just one more controller in there working and this accident never happens. Also secondary blame to the driver as even when you're cleared onto an active by ATC you still look left and right

fullback44 said:

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Not blaming anyone in specific, but I certainly would want to know if the Air traffic controller was qualified for that job, sure seems there are plenty of people in that field that maybe shouldn't be per general media reports. Who instructs a huge fire truck to go across a live runway? anyway, Im sure the entire story will come out and we will all know these answers so just going to have to sit back and wait see what happened and why

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Live runway? Do you mean active runway? I've never heard the term "live" runway so I assume you're talking about an active runway. But ground vehicles and other planes have to cross runways all the time. There is no other way to get around. You have to go when they tell you to go and you have to cross where they tell you to cross. You can't drive or taxi on the runway unless you're cleared to do exactly that.

A single controller working 2 frequencies isn't uncommon. It doesn't mean a place is understaffed. Sometimes you don't need separate controllers on all the frequencies.

very very difficult to rely on visual cues at night. the crash at reagan demonstrated that.

you need to first try and eliminate the human elements. juan browne mentioned ADS-B tech is available for ground vehicles which can be used to look for conflicts. that would be a good start.

sts7049 said:

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very very difficult to rely on visual cues at night. the crash at reagan demonstrated that.

you need to first try and eliminate the human elements. juan browne mentioned ADS-B tech is available for ground vehicles which can be used to look for conflicts. that would be a good start.

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Here is a screen grab from last night at DEN. E vehicles waiting staggered on the taxi way waiting for aircraft that declared emergency and then gathered around.
Looks like missed pic of staggering, instead they are following it, until it parked off gate.

My wild speculation concerning the crash:

In addition to ATC distractions, fire truck is crossing runway at a slight left hand angle. That means the driver's view was likely blocked or obscured by the guy in the right hand seat, and/or the structure of the truck.

Even if passenger in front right seat is helping spot traffic, that passenger would have to twist hard right and look over his shoulder.

Not a fatal factor by itself, just another hole in the Swiss Cheese

jrdaustin said:

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One other thing I noted, and you guys can confirm. From what I can tell, the United flight that was having the odor issues was on the other runway at the complete opposite end of the airfield, correct? They were having the tower try to get them a gate, and then when that was not available, the ATC's were directing the United flight to a taxiway to stop and wait for assistance. BUT.... The plane turned left when he was asked to turn right. Innocent mistake, but all of that going on had the controllers' attention - on the other side of the airport.

As someone stated earlier, this appears the FTCs went from very busy activity to "activity saturation" due to the emergent issue at the other end of the field. The scenario, though different, reminds me of the recent incident at Reagan where the military had helicopters flying through airport operations airspace. 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag, as it were.

Unfortunate all the way around.

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The actions of the United crew and passengers seem very important to this accident. They had odors in the cabin and two aborted takeoffs? I can believe the passengers were being difficult to handle at that point.

G Martin 87 said:

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jrdaustin said:

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One other thing I noted, and you guys can confirm. From what I can tell, the United flight that was having the odor issues was on the other runway at the complete opposite end of the airfield, correct? They were having the tower try to get them a gate, and then when that was not available, the ATC's were directing the United flight to a taxiway to stop and wait for assistance. BUT.... The plane turned left when he was asked to turn right. Innocent mistake, but all of that going on had the controllers' attention - on the other side of the airport.

As someone stated earlier, this appears the FTCs went from very busy activity to "activity saturation" due to the emergent issue at the other end of the field. The scenario, though different, reminds me of the recent incident at Reagan where the military had helicopters flying through airport operations airspace. 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag, as it were.

Unfortunate all the way around.

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The actions of the United crew and passengers seem very important to this accident. They had odors in the cabin and two aborted takeoffs? I can believe the passengers were being difficult to handle at that point.

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Good point. About that time sane passengers would want to get off the plane. Others, who just want to get where they want to go and don't consider the situation, would be upset that the plane was leaving late.

live, active, in use, what ever you want to call it, relax im not a fly guy, Im just a peasant posting my 2 cents comments on a message board.

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An Air Canada flight attendant miraculously survived being thrown more than 300 feet from the plane when it crashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night because of her "robust" jump seat, according to a safety expert.

Solange Tremblay was seated in her jump seat which is specifically designed to withstand crashes when Flight 8646 T-boned a Port Authority fire truck en route to an emergency around 11:40 p.m.

The impact of the crash sent Tremblay flying 300 feet from the aircraft, her daughter said but she suffered only a fractured leg.

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Flight Attendant Survived 300 foot ejection from Air Canada aircraft

wow. can you imagine sitting there then all the sudden you are hurtling through the air

per NTSB the controller gave the truck clearance less than 30 seconds prior to the crash and the truck confirmed about 17 seconds prior.

also saying that LGA does have the ground tracking system for traffic and that there were no alerts generated due to proximity of multiple vehicles or something

sts7049 said:

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per NTSB the controller gave the truck clearance less than 30 seconds prior to the crash and the truck confirmed about 17 seconds prior.

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People are overlooking that Truck One was not alone. There were other trucks right behind it also part of the United declared emergency status. It is never just one truck that responds. Truck one was the lead truck for the rest of them to follow.

I am aware it was the truck and company. but the controller was only speaking to truck 1

also, truck 1 apparently did not have a transponder, so, it would not be visible to the ground tracking system