In tragic incident at New York's LaGuardia airport, two pilots died and 32 passengers of an Air Canada Express jet were injured after the aircraft collided with a fire truck at the time of landing.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its regional partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, news agency Reuters reported.
Also read: Both pilots killed after passenger jet hits ground fire truck at New York's LaGuardia airport
The airport operations have been suspended following the incident with the airport authorities saying that the National Transportation Safety Board is on site to investigate the freak accident. “The airport will remain closed until at least 2:00pm Monday 3/23/26 to allow for a thorough investigation,” the airport authorities said in a statement on X.
Why was the fire truck on the runway?
As per the initial information, the fire truck was on the runway as it was responding to another incident when it hit the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane.
{{/usCountry}}As per the initial information, the fire truck was on the runway as it was responding to another incident when it hit the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane.
{{/usCountry}}“At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada was involved in an incident on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in which the aircraft struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident,” LaGuardia Airport authorities said on X.
As per a Reuters report, an official from the New York Port Authority stated that the fire truck was responding to a separate incident related to a United airlines plane at the time of the collision.
Also read: ‘STOP, STOP, STOP’: LaGuardia ATC panics as Air Canada Express plane collides with fire truck
Airport officials further added that emergency response protocols were immediately activated after the crash. “The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s Chairman and Executive Director. The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation,” it said.
Based on a preliminary passenger list subject to confirmation, the CRJ-900 aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal. As per the flight tracking data, the aircraft landed at around 11:37 p.m. local time and struck the vehicle at about 24 miles per hour during runway operations.
Photos taken after the incident showed significant damage to the nose of the aircraft, which appeared tilted upward. Emergency crews responded to the scene and authorities launched an investigation into the collision. Officials did not immediately provide further details on the cause of the accident.