The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia airport on Monday in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and US media said.
NBC News, which reported the deaths, said dozens of others were injured in the incident.
The news channel, citing sources, said that the fire truck was manned by police officers. Earlier, NBC News reported a sergeant and an officer had broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital.
The aircraft operated by Jazz Aviation, a regional partner of Air Canada, struck a firefighting vehicle on a runway just before midnight local time as it responded to a separate incident, New York’s port authority said.
A preliminary passenger list showed the 76 people onboard included four crew members, Jazz Aviation said in a statement.
US aviation authorities ordered all flights at the airport to be grounded, adding there was a “high” likelihood of an extended suspension.
The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 39 km/h, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
Photos taken by Reuters after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.
Authorities and emergency agencies did not offer any immediate comments on deaths or injuries.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2pm local time on Monday. Flightradar24 said 18 flights had been diverted to other airports, mostly in the New York area, or returned to their point of origin.
Air Canada referred Reuters to Jazz’s statement and said it was aware of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests 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.
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