Flight Safety Information - March 24, 2026 No. 059 In This Issue : Accident: Jazz CRJ9 at New York on Mar 22nd 2026, collision with fire truck on runway : Incident: Delta BCS1 at New York on Mar 22nd 2026, smoke in cockpit : Incident: Virgin Atlantic A333 at Washington on Mar 20th 2026, lightning strike, engine stall : Incident: Swiss A333 at Washington on Mar 20th 2026, fumes on board : ‘Please do something’: Concerns raised about LaGuardia safety before fatal runway collision : Dog Owner Who Allegedly Left a Lab Puppy at Airport After Pet Couldn't Get on Plane Will Face Charges, Police : Government Shutdown Slowed Arrival of Specialists Investigating LaGuardia Crash : Laguardia Airport crash: Flight attendant thrown from Air Canada plane survives in a 'total miracle' : American Airlines flight makes emergency landing at RDU : Calendar of Events Accident: Jazz CRJ9 at New York on Mar 22nd 2026, collision with fire truck on runway A Jazz Canadair CRJ-900, registration C-GNJZ performing flight AC-8646 from Montreal,QC (Canada) to New York La Guardia,NY (USA) with 72 passengers and 4 crew, was cleared to land on runway 04. Another incident, an approaching United aircraft having declared emergency due to an odour on board, required the attention of emergency services, fire truck #1 requested to cross runway 04 at taxiway D and was cleared to cross, a few seconds later tower shouted "Stop! Stop! #1 Stop! Fire #1 Stop!", but could not avoid the collision between the CRJ9 rolling out and the fire truck at 23:36L (03:36Z Mar 23rd). The aircraft skidded onto high speed turn off F/turn off E, about 130 meters/430 feet further down the runway, before coming to a stop on turn off E. The captain and first officer died in the accident, two fire fighters on board of the truck received serious injuries, 9 passengers received serious injuries, 32 passengers received minor injuries. The airport was closed and is estimated to reopen at the earliest at 14:00L (18:00Z) while the investigation is ongoing. The NTSB has deployed investigators on site. In the evening of Mar 23rd 2026 the NTSB reported in a press conference, that the FDR and CVR have been recovered from the aircraft, the work to read out the recorders will commence on Mar 24th 2026. https://avherald.com/h?article=536bb98e&opt=0 Incident: Delta BCS1 at New York on Mar 22nd 2026, smoke in cockpit A Delta Airlines Bombardier C-Series BCS-100, registration N118DU performing flight DL-1770 from New York La Guardia,NY (USA) to Nassau (Bahamas), was climbing out of La Guardia's runway 13 when the crew stopped the climb at about 6000 feet and decided to return to La Guardia for a safe landing on runway 22 about 15 minutes after departure. The FAA reported: "Delta Air Lines Flight 1770 safely returned to LaGuardia Airport in New York around 2:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 22, after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit. The Airbus A220 was headed to Nassau, Bahamas. The FAA will investigate." Editorial note: this occurrence happened about 9 hours prior to the collision on the runway, see Accident: Jazz CRJ9 at New York on Mar 22nd 2026, collision with fire truck on runway. A replacement BCS1 registration N131DU reached Nassau with a delay of about 6 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in New York about 25 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=536c3f53&opt=0 Incident: Virgin Atlantic A333 at Washington on Mar 20th 2026, lightning strike, engine stall A Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300, registration G-VSXY performing flight VS-22 from Washington Dulles,DC (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of Washington's runway 30 when the crew stopped the climb at 10,000 feet and decided to divert to Baltimore,MD (USA) declaring PAN PAN advising ATC that they had a lightning strike and an engine (Trent 772) stall. The aircraft landed safely on Baltimore's runway 33L about 30 minutes after departure. A passenger reported they were struck by lightening, the aircraft struggled afterwards, the crew declared PAN PAN and diverted to Baltimore. https://avherald.com/h?article=536c3a1e&opt=0 ‘Please do something’: Concerns raised about LaGuardia safety before fatal runway collision Pilots have raised concerns about miscommunication, air traffic control missteps and other hazards at LaGuardia Airport, according to a CNN review of government records for the past two years. “Please do something,” a pilot wrote last summer in one of at least a dozen reports about LaGuardia to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System – citing a close call when air traffic controllers failed to provide appropriate guidance about multiple nearby aircraft. “The pace of operations is building in LGA (LaGuardia). The controllers are pushing the line,” the pilot said. “On thunderstorm days, LGA is starting to feel like DCA did before the accident there,” referring to the January 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River in Washington, DC that killed more than 60 people. On Sunday, two pilots were killed and dozens of passengers were injured at LaGuardia airport when an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck in a high-speed runway collision. An air traffic controller had cleared the fire truck to cross the runway and frantically tried to stop it at the last minute, but it was too late. After the crash, he said on the ground radio frequency that he had been “dealing with an emergency earlier” and that he “messed up.” LaGuardia crash renews air traffic control concerns U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal urges action as officials investigate how a routine flight ended in a deadly collision, putting air safety practices under scrutiny. The response could shape how airports nationwide handle growing traffic. ‘A miracle’: Canadian flight attendant ejected from plane survives New York crash Only a few months ago, in October, two Delta Airlines regional jets collided on a LaGuardia taxiway, which sent one person to the hospital. And in Newark just this week, a close call occurred when two aircraft were attempting to land on intersecting runways. In the two years leading up to Sunday’s fatal crash, multiple reports detailed situations where collisions at LaGuardia were narrowly avoided, according to CNN’s review of the voluntary reporting system, which allows employees in the aerospace industry to anonymously flag safety issues and can take several months to include the most recent reports. While the reports are reviewed by a team of safety analysts who are tasked with alerting the Federal Aviation Administration of any hazards, the individual details of each report have not necessarily been verified by government regulators. In December 2024, for example, a report to the NASA database described how a plane came dangerously close to another aircraft on the ground because of inaccurate instructions from air traffic controllers. And months before that, in July, a copilot reported a similar near collision after controllers said the plane was cleared to cross the runway even though another aircraft was landing at the same time. “Ground Control issued a stop command just in time,” the report said. Other reports appear less serious or clear-cut about what went wrong but also cited confusing or dangerous scenarios at LaGuardia, which is considered one of the busiest airports in the country. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/please-something-pilots-raised-alarm-235246787.html Dog Owner Who Allegedly Left a Lab Puppy at Airport After Pet Couldn't Get on Plane Will Face Charges, Police The Allegheny County Police Department said the puppy was found near the departures drop-off area of the Pittsburgh Airport A Labrador retriever puppy was found wandering at the Pittsburgh International Airport Local police officials allege the pup's owner abandoned the dog after being unable to fly with the pet The pup is now safe in foster care as the owner faces animal cruelty and abandonment charges A Texas man is facing animal cruelty charges after police say he abandoned a puppy outside of a Pennsylvania airport. According to a report by local news outlet WDBJ7, the incident unfolded around 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20, at Pittsburgh International Airport, where officers were alerted to a dog running loose near the departures drop-off. With the help of bystanders, officers safely secured the animal, identified as a Labrador retriever puppy. According to a March 20 Facebook post from the Allegheny County Police Department, county police spoke with the dog's owner, who initially claimed he had seen a rideshare driver else abandon the dog. But authorities later determined that the owner left the puppy behind after realizing he could not fly with the animal. The dog's owner is facing charges for animal cruelty and animal abandonment, according to the police department's post. PEOPLE reached out to the Allegheny County Police Department for further details and have yet to receive a response. The puppy, meanwhile, is now safe and recovering. According to the police department, the dog has been placed in foster care following the incident and is "doing well." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The case marks another troubling instance of a pet being left behind at the busy airport. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dog-owner-allegedly-left-lab-205830597.html Government Shutdown Slowed Arrival of Specialists Investigating LaGuardia Crash A collision between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck killed the plane’s two pilots and injured dozens of people. Investigators were able to recover the voice recorder. The two pilots of an Air Canada Express jet were killed after a collision with a Port Authority fire truck on Here’s the latest. The investigation into a deadly collision between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport was initially slowed by complications of the federal government shutdown, the chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday night. The chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, said long security lines at other airports delayed the travel of some of the more than two dozen specialists who will take part in the investigation, and that some were not expected to arrive in New York until early Tuesday. She said N.T.S.B. officials had to “beg” the Transportation Security Administration to help one investigator who waited in line for three hours in Houston. LaGuardia Airport reopened Monday afternoon, nearly 14 hours after the accident in which an Air Canada jet struck a Port Authority fire truck that had crossed into its path as it landed, killing two pilots. Ms. Homendy said investigators were able to recover the plane’s undamaged cockpit voice recorder by cutting a hole in its roof but had not been able to conduct a full day of investigation because of travel delays. “It has been a really big challenge to get the entire team here,” said Ms. Homendy, who said she had driven to New York from Washington. Speaking at a news conference earlier on Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy deferred questions about how many controllers were on duty Sunday to the N.T.S.B. “As our airports go, LaGuardia is a very well-staffed airport,” Mr. Duffy said. “We are a couple controllers short in total but it is a very well-staffed airport.” But Ms. Homendy said she was not able to provide information about the pilots or the staffing of the air traffic control tower at the time of the accident, and that such information might be available on Tuesday. A recording of audio from the air traffic tower, which was reviewed by The New York Times, suggests that an air traffic controller appeared to have been focused on another emergency involving a different plane that had aborted its takeoff as the Air Canada plane approached LaGuardia. The fire truck had been responding to a request for help from the other plane when it crossed the path of the Air Canada jet, Mr. Duffy said. The collision injured dozens of people and shut down one of the busiest domestic airports in the region for more than half a day. It appeared to be the first fatal accident at LaGuardia since 1992. More than 12 hours after Sunday’s accident, the plane remained on the runway where it had come to a stop, its nose sheared off and its tail resting on the ground. Investigators said the runway where the accident occurred would remain closed for days. The collision, which occurred at around 11:37 p.m. Sunday, involved Air Canada Express Flight 8646, which had departed from Montreal. The CRJ-900 jet was operated by Jazz Aviation LP, which said in a statement that a preliminary passenger list indicated the flight was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Here’s what else we’re covering: Inside the plane: Before the crash, one passenger, Rebecca Liquori, 35, said a flight attendant gave a warning about what to do in case of an emergency landing. Almost immediately after landing the plane struck something and ground to a halt, she said. With the pilots dead and one of the flight attendants missing, passengers were left to organize their own escape, clambering over the wing and onto the tarmac, Ms. Liquori said. Survivors: The survivors of the crash included Solange Tremblay, a Canadian flight attendant who was ejected from the plane while strapped to her seat, her daughter, Sarah Lépine, told TVA Nouvelles, a Quebec broadcaster. She was discovered near the wreckage alive with a broken leg, Ms. Lépine said. “She really does have a guardian angel watching over her.” T.S.A. disruptions: Earlier on Sunday, travelers at LaGuardia endured hourslong security lines tied to a nationwide shortage of Transportation Security Administration workers. Thousands of T.S.A. employees are working without pay amid a partial government shutdown. Air traffic controllers are being paid during the shutdown because Congress has already funded their employer, the Department of Transportation. Jet operator: Jazz Aviation LP is Canada’s largest regional airline, serving 70 destinations across Canada and the United States. It operates flights under the Air Canada Express brand under an agreement with Air Canada, the country’s flag carrier. Investigators at the scene of the crash on Monday.Credit...Dakota Santiago for The New York Times One of the firefighters injured in the accident at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday was released late Monday from the hospital, and another remained hospitalized. Both were hospitalized at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, said Bobby Egbert, a spokesman for the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents the officers. Officer Adrian Baez was released on Monday while Sgt. Michael Orsillo remains hospitalized, he said. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey runs LaGuardia, one of the region’s three main airports. The firefighting unit at LaGuardia Airport is a specialized division of the Port Authority Police Department known as the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, or ARFF, unit. Its members are Port Authority police officers who receive specialized aircraft rescue and firefighting training and are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, Mr. Egbert said. Mr. Egbert, who worked on the fire rescue unit before he retired, called it “the nation’s largest and busiest” airport firefighting department aside from the U.S. military. “It is rigorous training, and they are real professionals,” he said. “It is a very active unit.” The largest rigs are bigger than traditional fire trucks, weighing about 90,000 pounds. They also have specialized firefighting foam and dry chemical agents to extinguish flammable liquid fuel and gas fires along with electrical fires, he said. “These are big trucks — the tires are taller than most people,” Mr. Egbert said. “They are heavy machines with all types of firefighting gear for aircraft emergencies. But they’re no match for a landing aircraft.” The lead truck, or Truck 1, was the one involved in the collision on Sunday night. “The plane appeared to hit the truck broadside, and we believe that the officers would not have survived if the plane hit the cab directly,” Mr. Egbert said. Because several other responding units followed the lead truck, he said, “An unfortunate situation turned out to be fortunate for the Air Canada passengers because all the ARFF units were immediately on scene and went right into rescue mode.” Both Port Authority firefighters involved in the crash — Sgt. Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez — were hospitalized at New York Presbyterian Queens, said Bobby Egbert, a spokesman for the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association. Officer Baez was released on Monday while Sgt. Orsillo remains hospitalized, he said. The T.S.A. staffing shortage delayed the arrival of some investigators at LaGuardia. As Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages snarled airport operations across the country on Monday, specialists from the National Transportation Safety Board, the agency responsible for aviation safety, were among those caught in the long lines for security, the agency’s chairwoman said at a news conference. Jennifer Homendy, the N.T.S.B. chair, said long airport security lines caused by the Department of Homeland Security shutdown were one of several issues that delayed the start of her investigation at LaGuardia Airport. Ms. Homendy’s agency responded on Monday after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck shortly after it landed at LaGuardia late Sunday night. Other factors that delayed her team included LaGuardia’s closure until 2 p.m. because of the crash and a ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport. “It’s been a really big challenge to get the entire team here, and they’re still arriving as I speak,” Ms. Homendy said. One of the agency’s air traffic control specialists was caught in a three-hour line for security at a Houston airport — Ms. Homendy did not specify which one — until the NTSB called “to beg to see if we can get her through, so we can get her here,” Ms. Homendy said. Investigators were continuing to arrive at LaGuardia by plane, train and automobile on Monday, Ms. Homendy added. She drove there with a team from Washington, D.C. Team members began arriving at around 3 a.m. on Monday and would continue arriving until about 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning, she said. The team had not yet had a full day of investigation and was therefore unable to provide much additional detail on the crash that killed two Air Canada pilots. “What I’m going to tell you is we are world renowned investigators,” Ms. Homendy said. “But we deal in facts, and if we are not able to verify those yet — and we haven’t been able to — we can’t provide those.” https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/23/nyregion/laguardia-airport-plane-crash-truck Laguardia Airport crash: Flight attendant thrown from Air Canada plane survives in a 'total miracle' A flight attendant still strapped in her seat survived being thrown from an Air Canada plane that collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport, her daughter said Monday. It's a "total miracle," Sarah Lepine told Canadian news station TVA Nouvelles. She said her mother, Solange Tremblay, had multiple fractures to one leg and will need surgery but otherwise was OK. An aviation safety expert said she likely was helped by being in a seat with a four-point restraint used by crew members. "I'm still trying to understand how all this happened," Lepine said, "but she definitely has a guardian angel watching over her." The jet, carrying more than 70 passengers, was landing when it collided with a fire truck that was responding to a problem at another plane Sunday night. The nose of the Air Canada plane was destroyed, and the pilot and copilot were killed. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti, too, called Tremblay's survival a miracle when "compared to the destruction of the nose of the airplane." "The flight attendant's seat is kind of a jump seat that folds down and is bolted to the wall, the same wall that the cockpit utilizes," said Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator. "It's a very robust seat," he added. "It's designed to withstand probably more crash loads than passenger seats because you need the flight attendant to help passengers get out of an airplane after a crash." In 2013, at least two flight attendants were injured when they were thrown from an Asiana Airlines flight that crashed into a sea wall while landing at San Francisco International Airport. There were 291 people aboard Asiana Flight 214, and three girls were killed. https://abc7.com/post/flight-attendant-thrown-air-canada-plane-survives-total-miracle/18757653/ American Airlines flight makes emergency landing at RDU A flight leaving for Philadelphia had to turn back after reports of "an odor" in the cabin MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- An American Airlines flight leaving Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) for Philadelphia had to make an emergency landing back at RDU after the pilot reported smoke inside the cabin. American Eagle Flight 5201 took off at 8:13 p.m. Monday, flew to the northern part of Wake County, took a left turn over Falls Lake, and then did a loop over Jordan Lake to line up for the emergency landing 23 minutes after takeoff. The pilots reported smoke and a burning smell in the cabin of the CRJ-900. A spokesperson for American Airlines said the plane turned back because of "a reported odor." An ABC11 breaking news crew at RDU saw the plane surrounded by fire trucks and Wake County EMS ambulances after the passengers were evacuated and walking on the tarmac to buses. The aircraft landed safely and was taken out of service to be inspected by American's maintenance team. All passengers made it safely to the terminal, the spokesperson said, and American was working to assist them with their travel plans. "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and thank our team members for their professionalism," the spokesperson said. No injuries were reported. https://abc11.com/post/american-airlines-flight-makes-emergency-landing-rdu/18758936/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS . CANSO Global Safety Conference 2026 - 29 March – 1 April 2026 (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) . 60th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium - March 31 - April 1, 2026 (Irving, TX) . 2026 ACSF Safety Symposium; April 7-9, 2026; ERAU Daytona Beach, FL . 2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference; May 5-7, 2026; New Orleans, LA . World Aviation Training Summit - 5-7 May 2026 - Orlando . BASS 2026 - 71st Business Aviation Safety Summit - May 5-6, 2026 | Provo, Utah . The African Aviation Safety & Operations Summit - May 19-20 | Johannesburg, South Africa . Safeskies Australia - Australia’s renowned Aviation Safety Conference - Canberra Australia 20 and 21 May 2026 : APSCON/APSCON Unmanned 2026 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL - July 13-17, 2026 : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 22-23 September 2026 . IATA World Maintenance & Engineering Symposium (23-25 June, Madrid, Spain) . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV Curt Lewis