Wreckage of crashed Air Canada plane removed from LaGuardia Airport runway

Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News on Mar 26, 2026

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NEW YORK — Crews have removed the mangled wreckage of the Air Canada jet that crashed into a Port Authority fire rescue truck as the probe into what sparked the fatal collision continued Thursday.

Port Authority officials confirm the debris from the plane and the fire truck have been removed from runway four, which is expected to reopen on Friday.

“With the removal of the plane and truck, we are reviewing the condition of the runway to ensure it meets FAA regulations and can be reopened safely,” the Port Authority said in a statement. “We are working to have it operational no later than Friday morning.”

As of Thursday morning, all but four of the passengers injured in the blistering crash had been released from the hospital, officials said.

Air Canada pilot Antoine Forest and first officer Mackenzie Gunther died after their jet — inbound from Montreal with 72 passengers and two other crew members aboard — smashed into the airport firetruck about 11:30 p.m.

The impact left what NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy called “a tremendous amount of debris” on the runway that needed to be combed through by investigators.

The NTSB is investigating all facets of the crash, including the possibility that a tower operator gave the emergency vehicle permission to cross the runway without realizing the Air Canada plane was landing there, Homendy said.