NEW YORK — Two people were killed and several others seriously injured when an Air Canada regional jet struck a Port Authority fire truck on a runway while landing at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, officials said.
The pilot and copilot, both based in Canada, died in the collision, which crushed the nose of the aircraft. Thirty-nine passengers and crew members were taken to area hospitals, some with serious injuries; most have since been released, authorities said Monday. Two Port Authority employees riding in the fire truck were also hurt, but their injuries were not believed to be life‑threatening, Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said.
The airport was to remain closed until at least 2 p.m. Monday to allow an investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board. The fire truck had been crossing the runway to respond to a separate incident aboard a United Airlines flight, whose pilot reported “an issue with odor,” Garcia said; she deferred questions about the exact sequence of events to the NTSB.
The Jazz Aviation flight, operating for Air Canada, carried 72 passengers and four crew members and had originated at Montréal‑Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Photos and videos from the scene showed heavy damage to the front of the Bombardier CRJ, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit, and an emergency vehicle lying on its side. Mobile stairways were used to evacuate passengers from the aircraft; the impact left the jet’s crumpled nose tilted upward.
In radio transmissions recorded in the moments before the collision, an air traffic controller can be heard clearing a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac and then urgently shouting, “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” while diverting an arriving aircraft. Air traffic controllers were not impacted by a partial government shutdown that has affected some airport operations; they have been affected by past shutdowns.
Passengers who were at LaGuardia described a chaotic night. Some said they had arrived hours early hoping to beat long security lines. Arturo Davidson, whose Miami‑bound flight was on the tarmac Sunday night, said fellow passengers saw the collision or its aftermath and were later told there had been an accident. About 20 minutes after the incident they were informed the airport was closing and returned to the terminal.
LaGuardia was the 19th busiest U.S. airport in 2024, with more than 16.7 million boardings, according to a 2025 FAA database. Authorities continue to investigate the cause and circumstances of the collision.