An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 sits on the runway after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Photo: Angela Weiss
The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada AC.TO Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and US media said.
NBC News, which reported the deaths, said dozens others were injured in the incident.
The news channel said that the fire truck was manned by police officers, citing sources. It had earlier said a sergeant and an officer had broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital.
Video footage shows the frontend of Jazz Airlines Flight 646, a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900, fully in the air with reports of multiple injuries, following a collison with a firetruck on a taxiway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. pic.twitter.com/sfuv9aIuN9
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 23, 2026
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, based on a preliminary passenger list that remained subject to confirmation. Jazz is owned by Chorus Aviation CHR.TO.
The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 39 kmh, said flight tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11:37 m ET (0337 GMT).
Photos taken after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.
Authorities and emergency agencies did not offer any immediate comments on deaths or injuries.
Emergency personnel respond to an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 that is sitting on the runway after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Photo: Angela Weiss
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2pm ET on Monday. Flightradar24 said 18 flights had been diverted to other airports, mostly in the New York area, or returned to their point of origin.
Air Canada referred Reuters to Jazz’s statement and said it was aware of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate incident when it was struck by the aircraft at the airport’s Runway 4.
Pure chaos at LGA – LaGuardia, NY just now. The airport is closed. It sounds like a vehicle has collided with an airplane.
Audio via @theATCapp pic.twitter.com/urhUb2iJOe
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) March 23, 2026
New York City’s emergency notification system said people could expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near the airport.
LaGuardia served over 30 million annual passengers in 2025, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a wide range of U.S. airlines operate at the airport.
– Reuters