Sometimes, it really does come down to inches.

Aviation safety experts say the deadly crash involving an Air Canada flight at LaGuardia Airport could have been far worse—if not for what one analyst is calling “pure luck.”

According to former FAA safety inspector David Soucie, the angle of impact made all the difference. The aircraft struck a fire truck on the runway, but crucially, it hit a section that avoided the vehicle’s fuel supply.

That detail likely prevented a much larger explosion—and potentially a far higher death toll.

Instead, while the crash tragically claimed the lives of two pilots and left dozens of passengers, crew members, and officers injured, the situation didn’t escalate into a full-scale catastrophe.

Think about that for a second: same crash, slightly different angle… and the outcome could have been exponentially worse.

Investigators are still working to determine exactly what led to the collision, but early analysis suggests that this one critical factor—the point of impact—kept the incident from turning into something even more devastating.

It’s a sobering reminder of how fragile safety margins can be in aviation.

At the same time, it also highlights something important: even in the worst situations, small variables can make a life-saving difference.

And in this case, that narrow margin—call it luck, timing, or fate—meant that many more people are still here today.