The investigation into the tragedy that paralyzed LaGuardia Airport on Monday has taken a critical step forward. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed the recovery of the black box from the Air Canada plane that brutally collided with a fire truck Sunday night. The accident, which occurred in the borough of Queens, claimed the lives of the pilot and co-pilot.
To rescue the devices (the voice recorder and the data recorder), the specialists had to literally drill through the roof of the aircraft. According to Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, the materials have already been taken to the laboratories in Washington D.C., where it was confirmed that the information is intact despite the impact.
“I screwed up”: Shocking audio
WATCH: New video shows Air Canada flight crashing into rescue truck at New York airport pic.twitter.com/PZcyTSXI15
– BNO News (@BNONews) March 23, 2026
The focus of the investigation is not only on the twisted iron, but also on the control tower.
According to radio logs and Flightradar24 data, the aircraft was traveling at 210 kilometers per hour when it met the fire truck head-on.
Most chilling is the internal communication: the air traffic controller, who authorized the fire truck to cross the runway to attend another emergency, admitted minutes after the impact that he had “screwed up”.
Homendy confirmed that the worker has been removed from his duties while it is analyzed whether a human error of judgment was the trigger for the collision.
“It’s a traumatic situation for everyone involved,” the official stressed.
LaGuardia New York plane crash
An Air Canada plane crashed into a fire truck early this morning on the runway at New York’s La Guardia Airport. Both pilots were killed. 5 firefighters inside the truck are in critical condition.#AirCanada #NewYork #AirCrash pic.twitter.com/3Gp6vS1WBF
– KleiverArcaya (@KleiverArcaya) March 23, 2026
While the pilot and co-pilot died in the line of duty, the 72 passengers and the other two crew members experienced moments of sheer terror.
Images from the front of the plane show total destruction, making the survival of the occupants of the passenger cabin look like a miracle.
The NTSB has deployed 25 specialists to the scene to review hydraulic systems, pneumatics and rescue protocols.
For now, the runway where the incident occurred will remain closed “for a long time” due to the amount of debris and the need to document each piece of evidence photographically.
Do you think today’s technology should prevent a controller from making a mistake as basic as authorizing a runway crossing with a plane taking off?
Filed under: LaGuardia New York plane crash
