By Cliff Pinckard
cleveland.com
NEW YORK — An Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck Sunday night at LaGuardia Airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot, according to NBC News.
NBC New York reports two officers with the Port Authority Police Department were taken to a hospital for treatment of broken bones.
| WEBINAR: How agencies operationalize real-time policing
There were four crew members and 72 passengers aboard the plane, a CRJ-900 jet. WABC Channel 7 reports 13 passengers were injured.
The collision occurred at about 11:40 p.m., according to CNN. The plane, Air Canada flight 8646, had arrived from Montreal and was nearing the end of its landing when it hit the fire truck, NBC New York reports.
CNN reports that data from FlightRadar24 shows the plane was going about 130 mph moments before the collision.
According to CNN, audio from air traffic control shows a controller gave the vehicle permission to cross the runway moments before the collision. Seconds later, he’s heard urging the vehicle to stop, CNN reports.
A Port Authority official told NBC News that the vehicle was responding to a separate incident when it was struck, but did not give additional details.
“Emergency response protocols were immediately activated,” the spokesperson told NBC News. “The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s chairman and executive director.”
The Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System website reported LaGuardia had closed because of the crash and would not reopen until 2 p.m.
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
