Tragedy struck New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday when an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 regional jet collided with a fire truck during landing, killing both the pilot and co-pilot, authorities and U.S. media reported.
NBC News confirmed the deaths and noted that dozens of others sustained injuries in the incident. The fire truck involved was manned by police officers, with at least two personnel hospitalized after breaking limbs but in stable condition.
The jet, operated by Jazz Aviation, a partner of Air Canada and owned by Chorus Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, according to preliminary passenger lists. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft struck the fire truck at roughly 24 miles per hour (39 kph).
Reuters photographs taken after the crash show significant damage to the plane’s nose, which was visibly tilted upward.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that LaGuardia would remain closed until 2 p.m. ET Monday (1800 GMT). Eighteen flights were diverted to nearby airports or returned to their origin points, affecting travel throughout the New York area.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported that the firefighting vehicle had been responding to a separate incident when it was struck by the aircraft on Runway 4. Emergency alerts warned the public of cancellations, road closures, traffic delays, and emergency personnel near the airport.
LaGuardia handled over 30 million passengers in 2025 and serves as a major hub for numerous U.S. airlines, making the closure a significant disruption to regional travel.
Authorities, including the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA, have yet to release further details on the cause of the collision. Air Canada referred inquiries to Jazz Aviation, which acknowledged awareness of the incident.
