Air Canada flight collides with fire truck on runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport; pilot, co-pilot die

PTI, March 23, 2026, New York: Two pilots were killed after an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck on a runway during landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, officials said.

The collision crushed the nose of the aircraft, while 39 passengers and crew members were taken to area hospitals, some with serious injuries. Most have since been released from treatment, authorities said Monday. Two Port Authority employees who were travelling 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 two deceased individuals were the pilot and co-pilot of the aircraft. Both were based out of Canada, Garcia said during a news conference early Monday. The airport will remain closed until at least 2 pm Monday to facilitate the investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The fire truck was travelling across the runway to respond to a separate incident aboard a United Airlines flight, whose pilot had reported "an issue with odour," said Garcia, who deferred additional questions about the sequence of events leading up to the crash to the NTSB.

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 Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the major airport serving Montreal.