NPR
New York's LaGuardia Airport closed after jet collides with firefighting vehicle
+492 words added -241 words removed
By
The Associated Press
An Air Canada Jet sits on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle after landing in New York.
There were 72 passengers and four crew members aboard the aircraft, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada, according to a statement from the airline. The flight originated at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the major airport serving Montreal.
Photos and videos from the scene showed severe damage to the front of the aircraft, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit. Nearby, a damaged emergency vehicle lay on its side.
The impact left the jet with its crumpled nose tilted upward.
"Stop, Truck 1. Stop," the transmission says.
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− Ryan Murphy/AP hide caption
NEW YORK — An Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on the runway after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, crushing the nose of the plane, according to authorities and photos of the wreckage.
+ Ryan Murphy/AP hide caption
NEW YORK — Two people were killed and several others badly hurt when an Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on a runway while landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, officials said.
− Two people were killed, according to a person familiar with the investigation into the crash.
+ The pilot and copilot were killed in the collision, which crushed the nose of the aircraft, while 39 passengers and crew members were taken to area hospitals, some with serious injuries.
− The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an active investigation.
+ Most have since been released from treatment, authorities said Monday.
− Two Port Authority employees who were traveling in the fire truck also were injured, the person said.
+ Two Port Authority employees who were traveling in the fire truck also suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, said Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
+ The pilot and copilot were both based out of Canada, Garcia said during a news conference early Monday.
The airport will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. Monday to facilitate the investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The fire truck was traveling across the runway to respond to a separate incident aboard a United Airlines flight, whose pilot had reported "an issue with odor," said Garcia, who deferred additional questions about the sequence of events leading up to the crash to the NTSB.
− The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement that the jet had struck a rescue and firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident at about 11:45 p.m. The airport was closed as of 3 a.m. to facilitate the investigation, officials said.
− Stairways used to evacuate passengers from aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ.
+ Stairways used to evacuate passengers from the aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ.
− In the moments before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard on a radio transmission giving clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac, then trying to stop it.
+ A Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle lays on its side off of runway 4 after colliding with an Air Canada jet after it landed at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, in New York. Ryan Murphy/AP hide caption
In the moments before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard on a radio transmission giving clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac, then trying to stop it.
− The controller can then be heard frantically diverting incoming aircraft from landing.
+ The controller can then be heard frantically diverting an incoming aircraft from landing.
− Jazz Aviation issued a statement confirming the accident and noting the passenger and crew list was preliminary and subject to confirmation.
+ Air traffic controllers are not impacted by the partial government shutdown that has caused long delays at airport security checkpoints in recent days. They have been affected by past shutdowns.
− The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the incident.
+ As passengers straggled out of the airport into the dark early Monday, some described having arrived at LaGuardia hours before their flight, hoping to beat the lines.
+ Arturo Davidson said his Miami-bound flight was on the tarmac Sunday night when fellow passengers saw the collision or its aftermath and reactions rippled through the cabin.
The passengers were soon told there had been an accident. About 20 minutes later, they were informed the airport was closing and they must return to the terminal, he said later Monday, gazing at a departure board filled with cancellations.
"I don't think we're going at two," he sighed, referring to the time Monday afternoon that officials gave as the earliest for reopening LaGuardia.
LaGuardia was 19th busiest in 2024 out of more than 500 U.S. airports, with over 16.7 million passengers boarding there, according to a 2025 FAA database.