Air Canada Pilots Killed After Plane Collides With Fire Truck at LaGuardia Airport

The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada aircraft were killed Sunday evening after the plane collided with a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York, airport spokespeople confirmed to Reuters. The collision occurred shortly after the Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft landed on the tarmac, according to LaGuardia Airport's statement on X. The plane had arrived from Montreal carrying 72 (passengers) — passengers aboard the Air Canada flight from Montreal and four crew members. Images circulating on social media, which had not been officially confirmed as of Monday morning, showed severe damage to the nose and cockpit area of the aircraft. The airport was closed until further notice following the incident.

41 passengers hospitalized, fire truck crew also hurt A total of 41 passengers were taken to hospital following the collision, with nine still hospitalized as of Monday morning, according to Reuters. Two people inside the emergency vehicle were also injured in the collision, the National Transportation Safety Board and media reports indicated. The fire truck involved in the collision was reportedly on its way to respond to an emergency call at the time of the incident, LaGuardia Airport said. Air Canada did not immediately comment on the incident. The New York fire department confirmed it was responding to an incident involving an aircraft and a vehicle on the runway. New York's emergency management agency warned the public on X of flight cancellations, road closures, traffic delays, and the presence of emergency personnel near the airport in the borough of Queens.

FAA grounds all flights, closure may extend past Monday evening The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration imposed a takeoff and landing ban at LaGuardia following the accident. In a notice to pilots, the FAA indicated the airport could remain closed until at least 18:00 on Monday, while noting there was a "high" probability the closure order would be extended beyond that time. Arriving flights were diverted to other airports or returned to their departure airports, according to the FAA's associated website. All departures from LaGuardia early Monday morning were either delayed or canceled. The airport had already experienced flight cancellations in the preceding period due to bad weather, compounding disruption for travelers.

NTSB and FAA open investigation into tarmac collision The NTSB and the FAA are both investigating the circumstances of the collision, according to reports. The New York police told AFP that the aircraft involved belonged to Canadian airline Air Canada and that it collided with a vehicle of the airport authority. The cause of the collision remained unclear as of Monday morning, with no official determination issued. CNN and NBC News, citing police and other authorities, were among the first outlets to report the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot. LaGuardia Airport serves primarily domestic U.S. connections and is one of three major airports in the New York metropolitan area. Air Canada, founded in 1937 and designated Canada's national airline in 1964, operates a fleet of 342 aircraft serving 178 cities and is ranked among the largest passenger airlines in the world by passenger volume, according to its company profile. The collision drew immediate attention to ground safety procedures at one of the busiest airports on the U.S. East Coast, though investigators had not publicly identified a contributing cause by Monday morning.