A passenger plane collided with a port authority fire truck late sunday at new York’s LaGuardia airport, forcing the airport to halt operations.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900, arriving from Montreal as flight AC8646, struck the fire truck while it responded to a separate incident on Runway 4 at around 11:40 pm local time, the Port Authority said.
Emergency services swarmed the scene, and photos showed the aircraft’s nose and cockpit heavily damaged.
Jazz Aviation, the regional operator of the flight, confirmed 76 people were on board, including four crew members. Authorities have not yet reported any injuries among passengers or fire crew.
“The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation,” the Port Authority said, noting that emergency protocols were immediately activated.
Flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 reported the plane “was rolling down the runway when it struck” the rescue vehicle crossing its path.
New York’s emergency management warned the public to expect flight cancellations, traffic delays, and road closures near the airport, advising commuters to use alternate routes.
LaGuardia, which serves 33.5 million passengers annually, had already been facing disruptions from poor weather and staffing shortages
It completed an $8 billion redevelopment in 2024, upgrading its aging infrastructure with new terminals and roadways.
Several fatal aviation incidents have occurred in the United States in recent months, including a collision between a passenger jet and an army helicopter near Washington in January last year that killed 67 people.
