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 died in the collision, which crushed the nose of the aircraft. Thirty-nine passengers and crew were taken to area hospitals with injuries; most have since been released, authorities said Monday. Two Port Authority employees riding in the fire truck suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said at a news conference.
Garcia said the pilot and copilot were both based in Canada. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, and the airport was to remain closed until at least 2 p.m. Monday to allow investigators access to the scene.
The fire truck was crossing the runway to respond to a separate incident aboard a United Airlines flight whose pilot had reported “an issue with odor,” Garcia said. She deferred further questions about the sequence of events to the NTSB.
The aircraft was a Jazz Aviation flight operating for Air Canada that originated at Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. There were 72 passengers and four crew aboard, the airline said.
Photos and video from the scene showed severe damage to the front of the Bombardier CRJ, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit and the nose crumpled and tilted upward. A Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle was visible on its side nearby. Portable stairways were used to evacuate passengers from the jet’s emergency exits.
Audio of air traffic control transmissions captured a controller giving clearance for a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac and then urgently trying to stop it. “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the controller is heard saying, then attempting to divert an incoming aircraft from landing.
Air traffic controllers were not affected by the partial federal government shutdown that has caused airport security delays in recent days; controllers have been affected by past shutdowns, officials noted.
Passengers described confusion and long delays. Arturo Davidson said his Miami-bound flight was on the tarmac when fellow travelers saw the collision or its aftermath and learned of the accident. About 20 minutes later, passengers were told the airport was closing and to return to the terminal, he said.
LaGuardia was the 19th-busiest U.S. airport in 2024, with more than 16.7 million passengers boarding there, according to a 2025 FAA database. The NTSB and Port Authority will continue the investigation into how the fire truck and jet came into contact during the landing.