TORONTO — There are so many more questions than answers – and the questions will no doubt continue to mount – as investigations escalate into Sunday’s collision impacting Air Canada flight AC8646.

The crash between the aircraft and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport left two pilots dead and sent dozens of the 76 passengers and flight crew to hospital. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed a team to support the NTSB in its investigation.

Watching CCTV video of the moment of impact, it’s incredible more lives weren’t lost, and passengers onboard AC8646 were hailing the two pilots, Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther, as heroes.

CBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault asked retired FAA air traffic controller Harvey Scolnick what he saw in the video. “It’s just jarring … to give a vehicle clearance to cross a runway, when you’ve already cleared someone to land,” Scolnick told Arsenault. “I don’t know that the pilot ever saw the vehicle. I can’t even imagine what the pilot was thinking when he heard the controller clear the vehicle to cross the runway, knowing there was no way he was going to miss it. I don’t know if the driver of the truck saw anything or realized anything.”

The crash has brought into focus the increasing pressures on air traffic controllers in the U.S. There are long-standing staffing shortages, a demanding work environment and repeated government shutdowns that have left them without pay.

Sean Duffy, U.S. secretary of transportation, declined to say how many air traffic controllers were on duty at the time of the collision. He said “as our airports go, LaGuardia is a very well-staffed airport.”

LaGuardia, he said, has a staffing target of 37 air traffic controllers. Currently, 33 are certified and seven are in training.

Scolnick told Arsenault that after listening to the audio of the incident many times, it seemed as though the voices of the ground control and the local control are indistinguishable. “I’m not certain it’s the same controller. It sounds like the same controller. … At some point the voice on ground control and the voice on local control seems the same to me,” he said. “Was ground control combined with local?”

Scolnick added: “I want to say this about the controller: I know how devastating it was for him. After all of this happened, that man continued to work traffic. He kept working the airplanes he had. I don’t know how long it took to get him relieved off that position. … I really feel for the guy.”

“TODAY IS A VERY SOMBRE DAY AT AIR CANADA”

Air Canada’s President and CEO Michael Rousseau spoke of the devastation felt by Air Canada’s team in the wake of Sunday’s incident.

“Today is a very sombre day at Air Canada,” said Rousseau in a video posted yesterday afternoon. “I want to express our deepest sorrow for everyone affected. We know this is a difficult day for everyone, including all of us here at Air Canada.”

Rousseau said Air Canada is actively working with all relevant authorities on emergency response efforts. “We’re fully supporting the relevant investigative authorities in their investigation, to learn everything we can about these events. That work will take time. Anything we can do now, we’re doing. And right now that means focusing on taking care of those impacted by this incident, including their families.”

Air Canada has also set up a helpline for all those impacted by the incident. The number is 1-800-961-7099.

“We understand and appreciate that people are seeking information. Please know that we will provide information as it is verified and cleared by the authorities for release,” said Rousseau.

“Our efforts are focused on the needs of our passengers and crew members along with their families and loved ones. We know that there are many questions but at this early stage we do not have all the answers, as the circumstances are still being assessed,” he added.

“WE SHOP ON EBAY TO REPLACE PARTS TO FIX OUR EQUIPMENT”: DUFFY

Meanwhile reporter Ian Austen, based in Ottawa and writing for The New York Times, said Sunday’s incident may be one more reason for many Canadians to avoid travel to the U.S.

Noting the drop in Canada to U.S. travel – now in decline for more than a year – Austen said coverage of Sunday’s incident highlighted the struggles and shortfalls of the American air traffic control system. Many in the airline industry have been sounding the alarm about safe air travel in the U.S.

As Austen points out, a private, not-for-profit company (NAV CANADA) took over Canada’s air traffic control system close to 30 years ago. “The arrangement means that the [Canadian] government] no longer contributes to the cost of the system,” says Austen.

Canada’s air traffic control system has also been modernized, while the U.S. system is antiquated and in desperate need of an overhaul, a fact readily acknowledged by the U.S. administration. “We shop on eBay to replace parts to fix our equipment in the system that keeps you safe,” said Duffy in May 2025. The U.S. administration is aiming to bring the U.S. air traffic control system up to speed by 2028, as part of a project that will cost tens of billions of dollars.

With file from The Canadian Press

Lead image caption: Air Canada’s President and CEO, Michael Rousseau, addresses the industry and the public in a video following the AC8646 inc