Flight attendant thrown, still strapped in seat survives LaGuardia crash

The Context
Plane Crash at LaGuardia Airport: What We Know
How Many People Were on Board the Plane?
Who Died in the Crash?

The Context, Plane Crash at LaGuardia Airport: What We Know, How Many People Were on Board the Plane?, Who Died in the Crash?

A flight attendant who was still strapped into her seat survived being thrown from an Air Canada plane that collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, her daughter said Monday.

Calling it a “complete miracle,” Sarah Lepine told Canadian broadcaster TVA Nouvelles that her mother, Solange Tremblay, suffered multiple fractures to one leg and will require surgery but was otherwise expected to recover.

The Context

The collision appeared to be LaGuardia’s first fatal accident since 1992 and raises urgent questions about runway safety, airfield vehicle movements, and air traffic control coordination at one of the nation’s busiest airports.

Plane Crash at LaGuardia Airport: What We Know

“I’m still trying to understand how all this happened,” Lepine told TVA Nouvelles of her mother. “But she definitely has a guardian angel watching over her.”

“It’s a complete miracle. At the moment of impact, her seat was ejected more than 100 metres (300 feet) from the plane. They found her and she was still strapped into her seat,” she said.

NTSB officials investigate the wreckage of an Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York on March 23, 2026.

The regional jet, carrying numerous passengers, was landing late Sunday when it struck a fire truck responding to an issue on another aircraft. The collision destroyed the nose of the plane and killed the pilot and copilot.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told the Associated Press that Tremblay’s survival was extraordinary given the extent of the damage. He said flight attendants are typically seated in reinforced jump seats equipped with four‑point restraints designed to withstand extreme forces.

“The flight attendant’s seat is bolted to the wall and is very robust,” said Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator. “It’s designed to endure more crash loads than passenger seats because flight attendants need to be able to help passengers evacuate after an accident.”

How Many People Were on Board the Plane?

The plane was carrying more than 70 people, the AP reports.

Authorities said 41 people, including 39 from the aircraft and two officers in the fire truck, were taken to hospitals, with many later discharged as the airport partially reopened on a single runway on Monday afternoon.

Who Died in the Crash?

The pilot and co-pilot died in the crash, the AP reports.

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.

Update 3/23/26, 5:18 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

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