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Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report
Location:
Date & Time:
New York, NY
Accident Number:
DCA26MA161
March 22, 2026, 23:37 Local
Registration:
C-GNJZ
Aircraft:
Mitsubishi CL-600
Injuries:
2 Fatal, 6 Serious, 33 Minor
Flight Conducted Under:
Part 129: Foreign
On March 22, 2026, at 2337 eastern daylight time, Jazz Aviation LP flight 646 (doing business as Air Canada flight 8646), an MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) RJ Aviation (formerly Bombardier) CL-600-2D24 (CRJ-900) airplane, registration C-GNJZ, was substantially damaged after it collided with Rescue 35 (R35), an Oshkosh Striker 1500 aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) vehicle, while landing on runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York, New York. The captain and first officer were fatally injured. Of the 2 flight attendants, 72 passengers, and 2 crew of the ARFF vehicle, 39 were transported to local hospitals with 6 serious injuries reported. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 129 scheduled flight from Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Montreal, Quebec to LGA. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) traveled to the accident site and invited qualified parties to participate in the investigation. These included the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, and the Police Benevolent Association. In accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization Annex 13, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada assigned an Accredited Representative to the investigation, as the airplane was both manufactured and operated by companies based in Canada. MHI RJ Aviation Group, Jazz Aviation LP, Transport Canada, the Air Line Pilots Association, and the Canadian Flight Attendant Union are technical advisors to the Accredited Representative.
The parties and technical advisors were formed into specialized investigative groups led by NTSB group chairs in the areas of Air Carrier Operations and Human Performance, Airplane Structures, Airplane Systems and Powerplants, Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Human Performance, and Airport Operations, ARFF, Survival Factors and Human Performance.
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This information is preliminary and subject to change.
DCA26MA161
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