Two pilots were killed and nine people hospitalized after an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City late Sunday, officials said. The crash forced the closure of the airport until 2 p.m. On Monday.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:40 p.m. Sunday, when Jazz Aviation flight AC8646, operating on behalf of Air Canada, struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle while landing on Runway 4, according to a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The ARFF vehicle was responding to a separate incident at the time of the collision.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal–Trudeau International Airport, according to preliminary passenger lists. Jazz Aviation confirmed the accident in a statement, adding that the passenger and crew list remained subject to confirmation.
Images from the scene show significant damage to the nose of the aircraft, which was tilted upward. Photographs also depict the fire truck on its side. Stairways were deployed to evacuate passengers from the jet.
The pilot and co-pilot of the Air Canada Express flight were killed in the collision, authorities confirmed. Nine other individuals were transported to local hospitals with injuries. The extent of those injuries has not been released.
According to a radio transmission captured before the crash, an air traffic controller attempted to halt the fire truck as it crossed the runway. “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the controller said, before quickly diverting incoming aircraft.
The Port Authority Police Department and the agency’s chairman and executive director are at the scene, investigating the cause of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to lead the investigation, though a spokesperson has not yet confirmed their involvement.
The aircraft involved, a Bombardier CRJ900LR, is registered as C-GNJZ and is 20 years old. We see operated by Jazz Aviation, a Canadian regional airline and the largest regional airline in Canada, which flies as Air Canada Express.
LaGuardia Airport remained closed Monday morning as investigators worked at the scene. The Port Authority stated the airport would reopen at 2 p.m. Monday.
