Pilot and copilot killed in collision between jet and fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport

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By JAKE OFFENHARTZ and JENNIFER PELTZ

Associated Press

Published: March 23, 2026 astatine 1:29 AM

Updated: March 23, 2026 astatine 5:51 AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Two radical were killed and respective others severely wounded erstwhile an Air Canada determination pitchy struck a occurrence motortruck connected a runway portion landing astatine New York’s LaGuardia Airport precocious Sunday night, officials said.

The aviator and copilot were killed successful the collision, which crushed the chemoreceptor of the aircraft, portion 39 passengers and unit members were taken to country hospitals, immoderate with superior injuries. Most person since been released from treatment, authorities said Monday.

Two Port Authority employees who were traveling successful the occurrence motortruck besides suffered injuries that were not believed to beryllium life-threatening, said Kathryn Garcia, enforcement manager of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.

The aviator and copilot were some based retired of Canada, Garcia said during a quality league aboriginal Monday.

The airdrome volition stay closed until astatine slightest 2 p.m. Monday to facilitate the investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The occurrence motortruck was traveling crossed the runway to respond to a abstracted incidental aboard a United Airlines flight, whose aviator had reported “an contented with odor,” said Garcia, who deferred further questions astir the series of events starring up to the clang to the NTSB.

There were 72 passengers and 4 unit members aboard the aircraft, a Jazz Aviation formation operating connected behalf of Air Canada, according to a connection from the airline. The formation originated astatine Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the large airdrome serving Montreal.

Photos and videos from the country showed terrible harm to the beforehand of the aircraft, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit. Nearby, a damaged exigency conveyance laic connected its side.

Stairways utilized to evacuate passengers from the craft were pushed up to the exigency exits connected the jet, a Bombardier CRJ. The interaction near the pitchy with its crumpled chemoreceptor tilted upward.

In the moments earlier the crash, an aerial postulation controller could beryllium heard connected a vigor transmission giving clearance to a conveyance to transverse portion of the tarmac, past trying to halt it.

“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the transmission says. The controller tin past beryllium heard frantically diverting an incoming craft from landing.

Air postulation controllers are not impacted by the partial authorities shutdown that has caused agelong delays astatine airdrome information checkpoints successful caller days. They person been affected by past shutdowns.

As passengers straggled retired of the airdrome into the acheronian aboriginal Monday, immoderate described having arrived astatine LaGuardia hours earlier their flight, hoping to bushed the lines.

Arturo Davidson said his Miami-bound formation was connected the tarmac Sunday nighttime erstwhile chap passengers saw the collision oregon its aftermath and reactions rippled done the cabin.

The passengers were soon told determination had been an accident. About 20 minutes later, they were informed the airdrome was closing and they indispensable instrumentality to the terminal, helium said aboriginal Monday, gazing astatine a departure committee filled with cancellations.

“I don’t deliberation we’re going astatine two,” helium sighed, referring to the clip Monday day that officials gave arsenic the earliest for reopening LaGuardia.

LaGuardia was 19th busiest successful 2024 retired of much than 500 U.S. airports, with implicit 16.7 cardinal passengers boarding there, according to a 2025 FAA database.

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