Two pilots killed after passenger jet hits fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia airport

Dozens injured in collision between truck and Air Canada plane, which crushed the nose of the aircraft

The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed, and dozens of passengers were injured after the plane 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 reported the deaths of the pilots. 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.

The Air Canada Express 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. The Ynet outlet, citing unnamed eyewitnesses, said the plane had a large number of Jewish passengers.

The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kilometers per hour), said flight-tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11:37 p.m. ET (5:37 a.m. Israel time).

Photos after the accident showed heavy visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2 p.m. ET on Monday (8 p.m. Israel time). Authorities added that there was a “high” likelihood of an extended suspension.

Flightradar24 said 18 flights had been diverted to other airports, mostly in the New York area, or returned to their point of origin.

“The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation,” the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told AFP.

Emergency response protocols had been “immediately activated,” it said.

The port authority said the firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate incident when it was struck by the aircraft at the airport’s Runway 4. FlightRadar24 said the plane “was rolling down the runway” when it hit the rescue vehicle as it crossed its path.

Air Canada cited Jazz’s statement and said it was aware of the incident.

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 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.

LaGuardia had already been suffering from flight disruptions due to poor weather, the airport said Sunday on X. Passengers were also waiting longer to pass through security due to “staffing impacts” from a federal funding lapse at the US Department of Homeland Security, it said last week.

Several fatal aviation incidents have occurred in the US in recent months, including a collision between a passenger jet and an army helicopter near Washington in January last year that killed 67 people. Other incidents and close calls have taken place while aircraft have been on the ground.