Two pilots killed as Air Canada Express jet collides with fire truck at LaGuardia
Both pilots were killed after an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late on Sunday, closing the airport, authorities and U.S. media said. Dozens of people were reportedly injured in the incident.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its regional partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, based on a preliminary passenger list, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
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The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was deploying a team of technical experts to investigate the incident.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the fire vehicle was responding to a separate incident when it was struck by the aircraft on Runway 4. Minutes before the collision, air traffic control audio indicated that a United Airlines flight had declared an emergency due to an odor onboard. Controllers had informed the aircraft that fire trucks were available. A fire truck was then cleared to cross Runway 4, where the collision occurred.
NBC News reported that the fire truck was manned by police officers. Earlier reports said a sergeant and an officer suffered broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital.
The aircraft struck the vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kph). Authorities noted visible damage to the nose and cockpit area of the plane.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2 p.m. ET on Monday. Eighteen flights had been diverted to other airports or returned to their points of origin.
New York City’s emergency notification system warned residents to expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays, and the presence of emergency personnel near the airport. LaGuardia served over 30 million passengers in 2025.
According to the FAA, there have been 97 runway incursions in January this year, compared to 133 during the same period last year.
Recent aviation incidents include a January 2025 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people, and a UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, that killed seven and injured 11 on the ground.
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