The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said an air traffic controller cleared a fire truck to cross an active runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport seconds before it was struck by a Southwest Airlines jet. The collision occurred on the evening of March 24, 2026.
According to preliminary NTSB findings, the controller instructed the airport vehicle to cross Runway 4-22. The Southwest Airlines Boeing 737, arriving from Nashville, was on short final approach and had already been cleared to land on the same runway. The collision involved the jet's left main landing gear and the rear of the fire truck.
The NTSB is investigating the sequence of events and which safety systems failed to prevent the incident. There were no serious injuries reported among the 145 passengers and crew on the plane or the two firefighters in the truck. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Southwest Airlines stated it is cooperating fully with the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also reviewing the incident. The NTSB's full investigation is expected to take 12 to 24 months.
