Pilot, co-pilot killed after Air Canada passenger jet hits fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia airport

NEW YORK/MONTREAL/WASHINGTON – An Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia airport late on March 22, killing both pilots, injuring dozens and closing the facility, the authorities said.

The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members and had departed from Montreal, said Jazz, which is owned by Chorus Aviation. Jazz and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the pilot and first officer were killed.

The crash comes as US aviation faces chronic shortages of air traffic controllers and a separate shortfall of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers due to a partial government shutdown that has led to delays, long security lines and heightened safety concerns across airports nationwide.

A separate 35-minute ground stop at nearby Newark Liberty International on the morning of March 23 added to delays after air traffic controllers evacuated their tower because of a burning smell from an elevator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

“Today is an incredibly difficult day for our airline, our employees and, most importantly, the families and loved ones of those affected by the accident involving Flight 8646,” said Jazz president Doug Clarke.

Nine seriously injured in hospital

Ms Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the port authority, said 32 of the 41 injured had been released, while nine remained in hospital with “serious injuries”.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at least two port authority firefighters sustained serious injuries.

Aviation safety experts say investigators would look at air traffic control staffing levels and the actions of both the controller and truck crew.

“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.”

Air crash investigations typically find that accidents result from multiple contributing factors, rather than a single cause.

Fire truck was cleared to cross runway

Ms Garcia said the fire truck was responding to a separate United Airlines aircraft that had “reported an issue with odour”. United Airlines, along with unions representing US air traffic controllers and Air Canada pilots, declined to comment.

Minutes earlier, air traffic control (ATC) audio from LiveATC.net indicated that a United Airlines flight had declared an emergency due to an odour on board. Controllers advised the crew that fire trucks were already on site.

A later transmission then showed a fire truck was cleared to cross Runway 4 at taxiway “Delta”, where the collision occurred.

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 39kmh, said flight tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11.37pm on March 22.

Photos taken by Reuters after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upwards.

Two unnamed passengers told ABC affiliate WABC of the shock on board, with one describing a friend suffering a broken nose and travellers hitting their heads against the seat in front of them.

Global Aerospace leads the airline’s all-risks cover for the Air Canada regional aircraft that was damaged, three senior aviation market sources said.

Those sources said Marsh is the broker for the cover. One of those sources said the aircraft’s insured hull value was around US$10 million (S$12.8 million).

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 Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it would also send a team to support the investigation.

The FAA said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2pm on March 23.

Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, said its teams and those from Jazz Aviation were also heading to the site.

The closure of one of New York’s busiest airports will add to travel disruption. Absences among transportation security workers have soared, leading to lengthy lines for passengers at major US airports.

On March 23, hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were ordered to deploy to airports to help fill TSA staffing gaps.

About 546 flights had been cancelled at the airport so far on March 23, 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 add pressure

The FAA recorded 97 runway incursions in January, compared to 133 incidents during the same period in 2025.

A bipartisan group of US House lawmakers in February 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.

In 2025, a UPS cargo plane also crashed shortly after take-off 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”. REUTERS