NEW YORK – A major aviation tragedy occurred at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night when an Air Canada Express flight arriving from Montreal collided with a Port Authority fire truck on the runway. The horrific accident resulted in the deaths of both the pilot and the co-pilot of the aircraft.
The incident took place at approximately 11:40 PM on Sunday. The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation (a regional partner of Air Canada), had just landed and was taxiing toward the gate when it struck the emergency vehicle. Reports indicate that the fire truck was on the runway responding to a separate, unrelated incident involving another aircraft at the time of the collision.
The impact caused severe damage to the nose and cockpit section of the jet. While all 72 passengers and two additional crew members on board survived, the pilot and co-pilot were confirmed deceased at the scene. Furthermore, four Port Authority police officers who were inside the fire truck sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.
Preliminary investigations suggest that heavy rain and poor visibility in New York on Sunday night may have played a significant role in the accident. Airport authorities had previously issued warnings regarding the inclement weather. Air traffic control (ATC) audio from the moments before the crash reportedly shows a controller frantically commanding the vehicle to “stop” just before the impact occurred at a speed of approximately 24 mph (39 km/h).
Following the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered an immediate ground stop, effectively closing LaGuardia Airport to all flight operations. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a full investigation into the breach of runway safety. Air Canada and the Port Authority have expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the deceased pilots and are cooperating fully with federal investigators to determine the exact sequence of events that led to this fatal collision.
