A passenger plane collided with a fire truck on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night.
Photos and videos circulating on social media showed severe damage to the nose and cockpit areas of the plane. air canada express The plane arrived from Montreal.
Sources told NBC News that the pilot and co-pilot may have died in the incident.
The images quickly sparked a backlash online. One user wrote: “Photos are out and it looks like the pilot is most likely dead and the entire cockpit is gone.” Others described the scene as “scary” and “creepy.”
Several images that appear to show a badly damaged fire truck have also surfaced online.
What happened at LaGuardia Airport?
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation collided with a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4 at approximately 11:40 pm on Sunday (03:40 GMT on Monday). The emergency vehicle was reportedly responding to another incident.
Jazz Aviation said that based on preliminary information, flight AC8646 was traveling from Montreal to LaGuardia, carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
“Jazz Aviation LP (Jazz), operating as Air Canada Express, confirms that an incident occurred at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) involving AC8646 operated by a CRJ900,” Jazz Aviation said in a statement.
“Flight 8646 was en route from Montreal (YUL) to LGA. The preliminary passenger manifest showed that the aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew members, but the exact circumstances have yet to be confirmed. The incident occurred at approximately 11:47 pm on March 22, 2026.”
LaGuardia Airport also issued a statement saying: “At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, a Jazz Air flight operating on behalf of Air Canada was involved in an incident on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport when the aircraft struck a Port Authority aircraft rescue and fire truck that was responding to another incident.”
“Emergency response protocols were initiated immediately. The Port Authority Police Department is on scene with the agency’s president and executive director. Based on preliminary information, this is a developing situation. The Port Authority Police Department is working closely with our airline partners as well as federal authorities and will provide additional updates as more details become available.”
U.S. aviation authorities issued ground stop notices at airports, warning of possible long-lasting disruptions.
“The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and conduct a thorough investigation,” the port authority said in a statement to AFP.
Flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 said the plane “collided with the rescue vehicle while taxiing on the runway” as it was crossing the runway.
New York’s Emergency Management Agency warned people to “expect flight cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and first responders” and to use alternative routes near the airport.
(With input from AFP)
