New York's LaGuardia airport shut after Air Canada Express flight collides with ground vehicle; 2 dead

Operations at New York’s LaGuardia Airport were suspended on Sunday (22 March) following a collision between an arriving Air Canada Express CRJ-900 and a ground vehicle on Runway 4. The pilot and copilot were killed in the plane collision at New York airport, NBC reported.

New York’s emergency management authority warned people to “expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays & emergency personnel” near the major transport hub in the borough of Queens.

“Use alternate routes,” it said on X.

Air Canada also addressed the situation and said, “We have taken note of an incident involving Air Canada Express flight 8646 on March 22, 2026, operated by Jazz Aviation LP (Jazz), connecting Montreal to New York LaGuardia.”

“Jazz will provide further information as it becomes available”, the tweet added.

The Air Canada Express aircraft, operating a service from Montreal, reportedly struck a fire truck during landing, according to early media reports and flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that New York City's LaGuardia Airport has been closed and a stop-ground order has been issued following a collision between a plane and a fire truck.

LaGuardia's website showed arriving planes had been diverted to other airports or returned to their point of origin.

In a separate notice to airmen, the FAA indicated that the airport could remain closed until 1800 GMT, pointing to the likelihood of prolonged disruption.

The regulator had earlier imposed a ground stop for all flights until 0530 GMT, citing an emergency. The notice also flagged a high likelihood that the restriction would be extended, though no further details were provided.

ATC audio captures final moments before collision

Air traffic control recordings indicate that the sequence began under normal operations, with a ground vehicle cleared to cross the runway: “Truck 1 and Company, cross 4 at Delta.”

Within seconds, the situation escalated sharply. The controller repeatedly issued urgent instructions—“Stop, stop, stop, stop, truck 1, stop… Stop, truck 1, stop”—as the risk of collision became apparent. Simultaneously, an approaching aircraft was ordered to abort its landing, with the instruction: “Delta 2603, go around, runway heading 2000.”

In the immediate aftermath, the controller informed another flight, “I see you colliding with a vehicle just hold position,” confirming the impact as it unfolded.

Unconfirmed reports citing the New York Fire Department said that five red-tag firefighters and over 100 passengers were injured in the incident. Further heavy ARFF deployment continues at the LaGuardia Airport.

Initial reports indicated multiple injuries, including several firefighters and passengers on board, with some described as critical, although details remain provisional.

The FAA subsequently issued a ground stop for all flights at the airport as emergency services responded and investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident commenced.

In October 2025, one United Airlines plane clipped another United plane's tail at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. An airline spokesperson had said that one plane was turning into its arrival gate when it "made contact" with the tail of another plane that was stationary on the taxiway.

The spokesperson told CBS News that both planes returned to their gates, passengers deplaned normally, and no injuries were reported.

The plane, turning into its gate, Flight 580, had just arrived from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, carrying 166 passengers and eight crew members.

The other plane, Flight 434, was bound for George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. There were 162 passengers and seven crew members on board.

Further, on 2 October, the same year, two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided on the taxiway at LaGuardia airport in New York, injuring a flight attendant, damaging a cockpit and tearing off part of a wing in what the airline described as a “low-speed collision”.

The wing of an aircraft carrying 32 people, getting ready to take off for Roanoke, Virginia, had hit the fuselage of an aircraft arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina, with 61 people aboard, according to a statement from Delta.

La Guardia Airport, a major domestic gateway serving New York City, frequently handles high volumes of air traffic, making any disruption significant for both airlines and passengers. Aviation experts note that ground incidents, while relatively rare, can lead to cascading delays across the broader air traffic network.