NEW YORK (AP) – Two people were killed and several others badly hurt when an Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on a runway while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, officials said.
The pilot and copilot were killed in the collision, which crushed the nose of the aircraft, while 39 passengers and crew members were taken to area hospitals, some with serious injuries. Most have since been released from treatment, authorities said Monday.
Two Port Authority employees who were traveling in the fire truck also suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, said Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
An Air Canada Jet sits on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle after landing in New York.(Source: AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
The pilot and copilot were both based out of Canada, Garcia said during a news conference early Monday.
The airport will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. Monday to facilitate the investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The fire truck was traveling across the runway to respond to a separate incident aboard a United Airlines flight, whose pilot had reported “an issue with odor,” said Garcia, who deferred additional questions about the sequence of events leading up to the crash to the NTSB.
There were 72 passengers and four crew members aboard the aircraft, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada, according to a statement from the airline. The flight originated at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the major airport serving Montreal.
Photos and videos from the scene showed severe damage to the front of the aircraft, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit. Nearby, a damaged emergency vehicle lay on its side.
Stairways used to evacuate passengers from the aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ. The impact left the jet with its crumpled nose tilted upward.
An Air Canada Jet sits on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with a Port Authority vehicle in New York.(Source: AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
In the moments before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard on a radio transmission giving clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac, then trying to stop it.
“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the transmission says. The controller can then be heard frantically diverting an incoming aircraft from landing.
Air traffic controllers are not impacted by the partial government shutdown that has caused long delays at airport security checkpoints in recent days. They have been affected by past shutdowns.
As passengers straggled out of the airport into the dark early Monday, some described having arrived at LaGuardia hours before their flight, hoping to beat the lines.
Arturo Davidson said his Miami-bound flight was on the tarmac Sunday night when fellow passengers saw the collision or its aftermath and reactions rippled through the cabin.
The passengers were soon told there had been an accident. About 20 minutes later, they were informed the airport was closing and they must return to the terminal, he said later Monday, gazing at a departure board filled with cancellations.
“I don’t think we’re going at two,” he sighed, referring to the time Monday afternoon that officials gave as the earliest for reopening LaGuardia.
LaGuardia was 19th busiest in 2024 out of more than 500 U.S. airports, with over 16.7 million passengers boarding there, according to a 2025 FAA database.
News
Behind the wheel sat Liam Hayes. At twenty-eight, he had just completed the sale of his tech startup to a Silicon Valley giant for thirty million dollars.
HE CAME HOME A MILLIONAIRE TO SURPRISE HIS FAMILY… THEN HE SAW TWO “HOMELESS” PEOPLE IN THE RAIN OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE A cold, gray November rain poured down on Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. But inside the cockpit of his new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, everything was warm and perfect. The scent of genuine leather mingled with the fragrance […]
“THEY TURN THE MUR-D;ER..E;R INTO A VI;CTI;;M?” — A PARENT’S LETTERS CAUSE OUTRAGE, THE FAMILIES OF TWO VI….CTI–MS “ERASED” FROM TRA-GED-Y
🚨 “THEY TURN THE MURDERER INTO A VICTIM?” — A PARENT’S LETTERS CAUSE OUTRAGE, THE FAMILIES OF TWO VICTIMS “ERASED” FROM TRAGEDY The letter to the judge is being heavily criticized for focusing solely on the “pain” of the suspect’s parents, instead of the irreparable loss suffered by the victims. Many believe this is proof […]
“Caleb… Caleb…” She could only call his name amidst her sobs, burying her face in the crook of his neck. The wounds on her body seemed to no longer hurt.
Three Years of Beatings and Abuse — Until a Mountain Man Walked Through the Door… The Bitterroot Mountains in Montana never showed mercy to anyone, especially on those stormy December nights. The wind howled through the dark pine trees, lashing against the reinforced glass walls of the secluded wooden mansion. Inside, the air was even […]
IDAHO MURDER CASE EXPLODES WITH NEW CONSPIRACY THEORY — IS THE “TRUTH” ABOUT BRUNY KOHBOGER BEING HIDDEN?
🚨 IDAHO MURDER CASE EXPLODES WITH NEW CONSPIRACY THEORY — IS THE “TRUTH” ABOUT BRUNY KOHBOGER BEING HIDDEN? 😳 Police Release Full File…. The Moscow, Idaho massacre should have ended after Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in court to a life sentence instead of the death penalty. But instead of bringing a sense of closure, that […]
MY MOTHER IS NOT A MONSTER… — The ChYldren’s Account Reveals Little-Known Family Tragedy…
Betty Broderick’s death in May 2026 reignited one of the most intense and protracted debates in American criminal history: was she a cold-blooded killer or a woman crushed by a toxic marriage? But amidst the countless legal controversies, television dramas, and public confrontations in the media, there exists a less-discussed perspective—the perspective of the children […]
“I HAVE NO REGRETS” — Betty Broderick’s Prison Letters Reveal the Terrifying Mind Behind the Sh**ting
“I HAVE NO REGRETS” — Betty Broderick’s Prison Letters Reveal the Terrifying Mind Behind the Shooting It marks the 36th anniversary of the shocking Betty Broderick case, which concluded after her death in prison at age 78 — but the controversy surrounding this tragedy continues. Betty never said she regretted it. To this day, America […]
End of content
No more pages to load
