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(TJV NEWS) An Air Canada Express jet collided with a ground vehicle while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, triggering a deadly chain of events that forced the airport to shut down, as Fox News reported.
The regional CRJ-900 aircraft, arriving from Montreal, struck a Port Authority fire truck on the runway at roughly 24 miles per hour shortly before midnight, as Fox News reported.
Authorities confirmed that both pilots were killed in the violent impact, while more than 40 passengers, crew members, and first responders were transported to hospitals. As Fox News reported, dozens have since been released, though several victims remain seriously injured.
The aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation on behalf of Air Canada, suffered severe damage to its nose upon impact, with images from the scene showing the front of the jet crushed and emergency crews swarming the runway.
As Fox News reported, the collision prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an immediate ground stop, halting all incoming and outgoing flights at LaGuardia. Flights were diverted to other airports or turned back mid-route, causing widespread travel chaos across the region.
Officials say the fire truck was on the airfield at the time of the crash, though the exact circumstances leading up to the collision remain under investigation. Federal authorities, including the National Transportation Safety Board, have launched a full probe into what went wrong.
The crash adds to growing concerns about runway safety and coordination between aircraft and ground vehicles at major U.S. airports. Early indications suggest the incident unfolded rapidly, leaving little time to avoid the catastrophic impact.
Road closures and major delays were also reported around the airport as emergency responders flooded the scene. Travelers were urged to check with airlines as disruptions continued into Monday.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials say more details are expected to emerge in the coming days as they work to determine how a routine landing turned into a deadly disaster.
