At least two people have died after an Air Canada passenger plane collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, prompting a temporary shutdown of the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the closure following the late Sunday night incident. The CRJ-900 aircraft, en route from Montreal to LaGuardia, struck the fire truck, which was responding to a separate emergency.
Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed, while over a dozen passengers sustained injuries of varying severity.
Air Canada reported that the flight carried 72 passengers and four crew members. Emergency crews quickly responded, attending to the damaged plane on the runway.
As a result, the FAA issued a ground stop, halting all flights into and out of LaGuardia until 2:00 p.m. on Monday.
The New York Police Department also closed all roads and highway exits leading to the airport, urging motorists to avoid the area.
“Due to an emergency incident at LaGuardia Airport, all streets and highway exits into the airport are closed until further notice. Expect delays and avoid the area if possible,” the NYPD said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it had dispatched a team to investigate the collision.
“The NTSB is launching a go team to investigate the March 22 Jazz Aviation, Air Canada Express Flight 8646, CRJ900, airplane that collided with a fire truck on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in New York, NY,” the agency tweeted. Chair Jennifer Homendy will act as the on-scene spokesperson, accompanied by Member John DeLeeuw.