Pilot, co-pilot killed after passenger jet hits ground fire truck at New York's LaGuardia airport
Grounded aircraft operated by United Airlines, as a damaged Air Canada Express jet and a ground vehicle that collided are seen in the background at La Guardia Airport in Queens, New York, U.S. March 23, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada AC.TO Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and U.S. media said.
NBC News, which reported the deaths, said dozens others were injured in the incident.
BREAKING: Several injuries after Air Canada plane and firetruck collide on runaway at New York's LaGuardia Airport pic.twitter.com/cO6u5HD1YA
The news channel said that the fire truck was manned by police officers, citing sources. It had earlier said a sergeant and an officer had broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its 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 CHR.TO.
The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kph), said flight tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11:37 p.m. ET (0337 GMT).
Photos taken by Reuters after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.
Authorities and emergency agencies did not offer any immediate comments on deaths or injuries.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2 p.m. ET on Monday (1800 GMT). Flightradar24 said 18 flights had been diverted to other airports, mostly in the New York area, or returned to their point of origin.
Air Canada referred Reuters to Jazz's statement and said it was aware of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate incident when it was struck by the aircraft at the airport's Runway 4.
New York City's emergency notification system said people could expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near the airport.
LaGuardia served over 30 million annual passengers in 2025, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a wide range of U.S. airlines operate at the airport.