The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and U.S. media said.
Dozens have been injured in the crash and the fire truck was manned by police officers. The incident occurred at 11.38pm local time 22 March.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said in a press conference that everyone had been accounted for, that "41 people were transported" and that "32 people were released" and confirmed that the two pilots had been killed.
Those people who went to the lounge were reunited with their families. She said that some of the injuries were serious and were in hospital but couldn't comment on specifics.
Garcia added that the earliest the airport would reopen would be 2pm local time.
She also said that the vehicle that collided with the plane was responding to a pilot who required assistance and confirmed that vehicles have to get clearance to move on th runway or taxiways.
The plane involved in the accident was operated by Air Canada's regional partner Jazz, which is owned by Chorus Aviation.
Jazz said the aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members based on a preliminary passenger list that remained subject to confirmation.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane arriving from Montreal, Canada hit the ground vehicle at about 39 kilometres per hour (24 miles per hour).
Photos on Reuters after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2 p.m. ET on Monday (1800 GMT).
Flightradar24 said 18 flights had been diverted to other airports, mostly in the New York area, or returned to their point of origin.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate incident when it was struck by the aircraft at the airport's Runway 4.
New York City's emergency notification system said people could expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near the airport.
LaGuardia served more than 30 million annual passengers in 2025, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a wide range of U.S. airlines operate at the airport.
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