Air Canada Express jet hits fire engine upon landing, closing New York’s LaGuardia airport

NEW YORK – An Air Canada Express regional jet with about 76 people on board collided with a fire engine while landing at New York’s LaGuardia airport late on March 22, in an incident that closed the airport, the authorities said.

NBC News reported that four people were injured in the incident and that the fire engine was manned by police officers, citing sources.

The report said the pilot and co-pilot of the aircraft were badly injured, while a sergeant and an officer had broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital.

The CRJ-900 plane, which was coming from Montreal, struck the vehicle at a speed of about 39kmh, said Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11.37pm on March 22 (11.37am on March 23, Singapore time).

Photos taken by Reuters after the accident showed 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 2pm on March 23. LaGuardia’s website showed arriving planes diverted to other airports or returned to their point of origin.

The plane involved in the accident was operated by Air Canada’s regional partner Jazz, which is owned by Chorus Aviation.

Jazz said the aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members based on a preliminary passenger list that remained subject to confirmation.

Air Canada referred Reuters to Jazz’s statement and said it was aware of the incident.

The New York Fire Department said it was responding to a reported incident at the airport’s Runway 4 involving a plane and a vehicle at LaGuardia airport, directing further queries to Port Authority Police, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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 US airlines operate at the airport. REUTERS