The pilot and co-pilot of the plane were killed, and 41 others were injured, a Port Authority spokesperson said.
A total of 41 people, including passengers, crew, and aircraft rescue and fire fighting officers, were taken to the hospital, Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia told reporters.
Some are “seriously injured,” she said, without providing an exact number of critical injuries.
The pilot and co-pilot of the Air Canada flight that collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport both died, Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said.
Speaking to reporters at the airport just before 5 a.m., Garcia confirmed that the collision happened at 11:40 p.m. last night and that 72 passengers and four crew were on board the plane.
“Sadly, the two pilots are confirmed deceased and notifications are being made by Air Canada’s care team at this time,” she said.
She did not offer any more information on the pilots, but said they were based in Canada.
Taxiing aircraft and all ground vehicles must be in constant communication with the air traffic control to avoid any collision, said Jeff Guzzetti, a retired aircraft accident investigator and NBC News aviation analyst.
“That vehicle needs to follow the orders of the controller, just like any airplane would to avoid this type of situation right here,” he said, adding ground collisions are a “rare occurrence.”
“I can’t even think of the last time we had a collision on the ground between an airplane and a vehicle that resulted in critical injuries,” he said.
Based on the information available, it did not appear there was any problem with the plane, he said, adding it was likely an “operational issue involving either the pilot, the controller, or the vehicle driver.”
More than a dozen passengers on board the Air Canada flight suffered varying degrees of injuries, according to preliminary information from a senior official with knowledge of the investigation.
Some passengers were taken to Elmhurst and Queens Presbyterian hospitals, the source said.
The NYPD has told people expect delays and avoid the area of LaGuardia airport if possible following the incident.
“Due to an emergency incident at LaGuardia Airport, all streets and highway exits into the airport are closed until further notice. Expect delays and avoid the area if possible,” the NYPD said in a post on X.
There will be no flights into or out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport today until 2 p.m. ET, the Federal Aviation Administration said in an alert.
The airport was officially shut at 3:16 a.m. following the collision between a passenger jet and a Port Authority fire truck that was responding to an unrelated incident.
Fire trucks lineup outside LaGuardia Airport in New York on Monday in New York. Ryan Murphy / AP
The vehicle involved in the overnight collision with a passenger plane at LaGuardia was a Port Authority “Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle” that was en route to another matter when it was struck, a spokesperson said.
The vehicle “was responding to a separate incident,” the Port Authority official said without adding details about the assignment.
“Emergency response protocols were immediately activated,” the spokesperson added. “The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s chairman and executive director.”
LaGuardia’s subsequent closure around midnight was to “facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation,” the spokesperson said.
The Port Authority Police Department will provide future updates, according to the statement.
Jazz Aviation, which operates as Air Canada Express, confirmed that one of its aircraft was involved in the incident at LaGuardia Airport overnight.
In a statement, it identified the plane in question as Flight 8646 from Montreal to LaGuardia and said the aircraft is a CRJ-900.
It said 72 passengers and four crew members were on board, but said these are preliminary numbers from its passenger list that are “subject to confirmation.”
The airline’s time for the incident is 11:47 p.m. ET Sunday, according to the statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a go team to investigate the collision, it said.
The team is expected to arrive today, the NTSB said in a post on X.
An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 sits on the runway after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York, today. Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images
The pilot and co-pilot of the plane have been killed, two sources familiar with the investigation say.
The NYC medical examiner is now handling their deaths, the sources say.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Bombardier CRJ-900 twin-jet aircraft arriving from Montreal.
The accident happened on LaGuardia’s Runway 4 about 11:45 p.m. ET, it said. The FAA said it was investigating the crash.
Two sources familiar with the matter said the pilot and copilot on board the passenger plane were badly injured in the late-night collision.
A Port Authority Police Department sergeant and officer had broken limbs and were stabilized at a hospital, they said.
No other major injuries have been reported, the sources said.
The plane was nearing the end of its landing, rolling at about 30 mph, when collision took place, the sources said.
An Air Canada Jet sits on the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Monday after colliding with a Port Authority vehicle. Ryan Murphy / AP
Four people were injured when authorities said an Air Canada passenger plane collided with a fire truck on a LaGuardia Airport runway late Sunday, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The plane, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada, struck a Port Authority vehicle that was responding a separate incident around 11:40 p.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Port Authority described the truck as an aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle. It was manned by police officers, the sources said.
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