'Stop, stop, stop Truck 1': Panic ATC audio from Air Canada plane crash goes viral at New York's LaGuardia airport

After the Air Canada plane crash, the attention has been towards the air traffic control (ATC) audio capturing the moments leading up to the collision has gone viral on social media. According to the ATC audio, a controller can be heard saying: "Stop, stop, stop, truck 1 ⁠stop, truck 1, stop." An Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, killing both the pilots.

Minutes before the incident, the airport's air traffic control audio broadcast from LiveATC.net indicated that a United Airlines flight had declared an emergency due to an odor reported onboard. Controllers told the ⁠aircraft that ‌fire trucks were available on site. A second transmission then shows a fire truck was cleared to cross Runway 4, where the collision occurred, at taxiway 'Delta".

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"Stop, stop, stop, stop, Truck 1, stop, stop, stop. Stop, Truck 1, stop," the controller can be heard shouting in panic. The crash then likely took place seconds later. The traffic controller then asks "Delta 2603" to "go around".

In a viral audio clip circulating on social media, an official can be heard saying, “Truck 1 and company LaGuardia Tower are requesting to cross 4 at Delta.”

The official then repeats, “Truck 1 and company crossing 4.” After this, the traffic controller responds, “Frontier 4195, just stop there, please.”

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Air Canada plane crash

The Air Canada plane crash is the latest in a string of recent aviation lapses. NBC News, which reported the deaths, said dozens of people were injured in ‌the incident. The Air Canada ⁠Express CRJ-900 ⁠plane, operated by its regional partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, based on a preliminary passenger list that remained subject to confirmation. Jazz is owned by Chorus Aviation.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was deploying a team of technical experts to investigate the incident.

The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kph), according to flight tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11:37 p.m. ET (0337 GMT).

Authorities and emergency agencies have not provided any immediate information regarding deaths or injuries. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the airport was expected to remain closed until 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) on Monday.

According to Flightradar24, 18 flights were diverted to other nearby airports, mainly within the New York area, or returned to their departure points. Air Canada directed inquiries to Jazz’s statement and confirmed it was aware of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

New York City’s emergency notification system advised people to expect flight cancellations, road closures, traffic delays, and the presence of emergency personnel near the airport. LaGuardia Airport handled over 30 million passengers in 2025, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and is served by several major U.S. airlines.

(With inputs from Reuters)