New York (AFP) – A plane carrying dozens of people collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York’s LaGuardia airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot and causing “serious injuries” to others, authorities said Monday. Due to the crash late Sunday, US aviation authorities halted all flights at LaGuardia, and the port authority said the airport would stay shut until at least 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) “to allow for a thorough investigation.”
The closure follows the dramatic collision that left the Air Canada Express plane tilted back on its tail on the tarmac with a smashed cockpit, and flanked by emergency vehicles with flashing lights. The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, Kathryn Garcia, the head of the city’s port authority, said at a press conference. Forty-one people were taken to the hospital, some with “serious injuries,” though 32 have since been released, Garcia said. Two aircraft rescue and firefighting officers remain in the hospital in “stable condition with no life-threatening injury,” she added. “They were able to speak and we’re notifying their families.”
The port authority said the aircraft operated by Jazz Aviation, a regional partner of Air Canada, struck one of its firefighting trucks on Runway 4 at around 11:40 pm Sunday as the vehicle drove to a separate incident. Emergency response protocols had been “immediately activated,” it said. A preliminary passenger list showed 76 people on board the flight, including four crew members, Jazz Aviation said in a statement. The National Transportation Safety Board said it had sent a “go team” to the scene to investigate the collision.
Jazz Aviation said the crash involved a CRJ-900 aircraft that had flown into LaGuardia from Montreal as flight AC8646. Flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 said the plane “was rolling down the runway when it struck” the rescue vehicle as it crossed its path. New York’s emergency management authority warned people to “expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays & emergency personnel,” and use alternate routes near the airport.
LaGuardia had already been suffering from flight disruptions due to poor weather, the airport said Sunday on X. Passengers were also waiting longer to pass security due to “staffing impacts” from a federal funding lapse, it said last week. Located in the New York borough of Queens, LaGuardia is New York’s third-busiest airport, serving 33.5 million passengers in 2024, according to port authority figures. It completed an $8 billion redevelopment in 2024, upgrading its aging infrastructure with new terminals and roadways.
Deadly air crashes in the United States in recent years include a collision between a passenger jet and an army helicopter near Washington in January 2025 that killed 67 people. Other incidents and close calls have taken place while aircraft were on the ground.
© 2024 AFP
