Passenger jet collides with fire truck in New York's LaGuardia, killing both pilots
Of the 41 injured passengers, 32 had been released, while nine remained in hospital with "serious injuries", said the authorities.
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NEW YORK: An Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday (Mar 22), killing both pilots, injuring dozens and closing the facility, authorities said, in an incident likely to heighten concerns over strains across the US aviation system.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its regional partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, Canada, said Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Jazz is owned by Chorus Aviation.
Garcia said 32 of the 41 injured had been released, while nine remained in hospital with "serious injuries". Those injured included passengers, crew members and the two officers aboard the fire truck; both officers remained hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries.
Aviation safety experts say investigators would look at air traffic control staffing levels, the activities of the controller and truck crew that night, along with the position of the truck.
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"The Air Canada jet was obviously cleared to land, and from the radio transmissions, it appears that the airport rescue and firefighting vehicle was cleared. There are a lot of questions now regarding the communications," said US safety expert Anthony Brickhouse. "Communication is going to be a major part of this investigation."
US airports have recently struggled with shortages of air traffic controllers and are wrestling with a separate shortfall of Transportation Security Administration officers due to a partial government shutdown that has delayed flights across the country, further testing a strained system.
FIRE TRUCK WAS CLEARED TO CROSS RUNWAY
Garcia said the fire truck was responding to a separate United Airlines aircraft that had "reported an issue with odour".
Minutes earlier, air traffic control audio from LiveATC.net indicated that a United Airlines flight had declared an emergency due to an odour reported onboard. Controllers advised the crew that fire trucks were already on site.
A second transmission then shows a fire truck was cleared to cross Runway 4, where the collision occurred, at taxiway 'Delta'.
Moments later, according to the ATC audio, a controller can be heard saying: "Stop, stop, stop, truck 1 stop, truck 1, stop."
The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 39 kmh, said flight tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11.37pm ET (11.37am on Monday, Singapore time).
Photos taken by Reuters after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.
Two unnamed passengers told ABC affiliate WABC of the shock of the accident on the late-night flight, with one describing a friend with a broken nose and travellers hitting their heads against the seat in front of them.
Air Canada referred Reuters to Jazz's statement and said it was aware of the incident. Jazz had earlier acknowledged the collision and said it would provide further details when available.
FLIGHTS CANCELLED, DELAYS EXPECTED
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was deploying a team of technical experts to investigate the incident, while the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2pm ET on Monday.
The closure of one of New York's busiest airports will add to travel disruption caused by the weeks-long partial government shutdown. Absences among transportation security workers have soared, leading to lengthy lines for passengers at major US airports.
New York City's emergency notification system said people could expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near the airport.
About 537 flights had been cancelled at the airport so far on Monday, according to tracking website FlightAware.
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 US airlines operate at the airport.
RECENT INCIDENTS
According to the FAA, there have been 97 runway incursions in January this year, compared to 133 incidents during the same period last year.
A bipartisan group of US House lawmakers last month proposed legislation to address 50 aviation safety recommendations issued after a year-long investigation into the January 2025 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.
Last year, a UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, killing seven and injuring 11 on the ground.
Canadian Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon said the country's government was working closely with US authorities "as they investigate this incident, and we are following developments closely".
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