New York – A tragic aviation incident in the United States has claimed the lives of two crew members after a passenger jet collided with a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport late on Sunday night.
According to international reports, the pilot and co pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet died following the collision, which forced the temporary closure of the busy airport in New York City.
The aircraft, identified as a CRJ 900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal at the time of the incident. Jazz Aviation operates as a partner of Air Canada and is owned by Chorus Aviation. 
Reports from NBC News indicate that dozens of other individuals sustained injuries. The fire truck involved in the crash was reportedly manned by police officers, with earlier information suggesting that a sergeant and an officer suffered broken limbs and were receiving treatment in hospital.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft was travelling at about 24 miles per hour when it struck the fire vehicle. The last recorded signal from the plane was at 11.37pm Eastern Time.
Images captured after the crash showed visible damage to the nose section of the aircraft, which appeared tilted upward.
Authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration, confirmed that the airport would remain closed until 2pm on Monday as investigations and emergency operations continued. At least 18 flights were diverted to nearby airports or returned to their points of origin.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported that the fire truck was responding to a separate emergency when it was struck by the landing aircraft on Runway 4.
Emergency alerts issued across New York warned residents to expect cancellations, road closures and heavy traffic around the airport as response teams worked at the scene.
LaGuardia Airport handled more than 30 million passengers in 2025, making it one of the busiest air travel hubs in the United States, with multiple domestic airlines operating from the facility.
