Pilot And Co-pilot killed After Air Canada Plane Collides With Fire Engine At LaGuardia New York

A tragic aviation incident unfolded at LaGuardia Airport after an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a fire truck while landing late on Sunday. According to reports, the pilot and co-pilot lost their lives in the crash, while dozens of passengers and crew members sustained injuries. The collision forced the immediate closure of the busy New York airport.

Aircraft Carrying 76 People Slams Into Emergency Vehicle Leaving Pilot Dead

The aircraft involved, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, had departed from Montreal and was carrying 72 passengers along with four crew members. Jazz operates regional flights on behalf of Air Canada and is owned by Chorus Aviation.

Preliminary data from Flightradar24 indicated the plane was travelling at approximately 24mph at the time of impact, with its last recorded signal logged at 11:37pm.

Images from the scene showed visible damage to the aircraft’s nose, which appeared lifted upward following the crash. Reports also indicated that the fire truck was being operated by police officers, with earlier updates stating that a sergeant and an officer suffered broken limbs and were in stable condition.

Investigations Underway as Flights Diverted

Officials said the emergency vehicle was responding to a separate incident on the runway when it was struck by the landing aircraft. Authorities have yet to release official confirmation regarding the fatalities and the full extent of injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the airport would remain closed until 2pm on Monday, causing widespread disruption. At least 18 flights were diverted to nearby airports or returned to their departure points.

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Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to lead the investigation into the cause of the crash.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey added that the firefighting vehicle had been attending to another emergency at the time of the collision.

Residents were warned to expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and a heavy emergency presence around the airport.