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A jet collided with a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City late Sunday night, leaving two people dead and dozens injured.
The incident happened around 11:40 p.m. and involved a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada Express, according to a post on X from LaGuardia Airport. The regional jet, arriving from Montreal, struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle on Runway 4. The vehicle was responding to a separate incident at the time.
The pilot and copilot were killed in the collision. Around 40 passengers and crew members were taken to hospitals in the area, though most have since been released, the AP reported. The workers in the fire truck were also injured but are in stable condition.
Images from the scene show that the aircraft’s nose and cockpit were severely damaged in the crash.
LaGuardia Airport said on X that it will remain closed until 2 p.m. on Monday to “allow for a thorough investigation,” a disruption that is expected to affect hundreds of flights nationwide.
The incident comes as airports across the U.S. are already dealing with TSA staffing shortages amid a funding standoff in Congress. Lawmakers have yet to pass a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, as Democrats negotiate with the White House over immigration enforcement policies. Over the weekend, President Trump said that the administration would be sending ICE agents to airports to fill in for TSA workers who aren’t currently being paid. TSA worker shortages have resulted in long wait times at security gates across the country.
It’s important to note that air traffic control is not part of DHS. It falls under the Federal Aviation Administration and is not affected by the partial government shutdown.
The AP reported that before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard on a radio transmission clearing a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac, before trying to stop it.
“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the controller said.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two Jazz employees, and our deepest condolences go out to the entire Jazz community and their families,” Air Canada said in a statement. “Air Canada and Jazz Aviation are cooperating with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States in the investigation of the cause of this incident.”
Both airlines said the aircraft could have been carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew members at the time of the crash, based on a preliminary passenger list.
“I have been briefed on the tragic collision that took place at LaGuardia Airport late last night,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in a post on X this morning. “The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, and the City is in close contact with federal, state, and local partners.”
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Source: Gizmodo