An Air Canada flight collided with a Port Authority of New York vehicle after landing at LaGuardia Airport, with NBC News reporting two deaths and two injured.

The pilot and copilot were killed in the collision, which crushed the nose of the aircraft, while 39 passengers and crew members were taken to area hospitals, some with serious injuries.

Most have since been released from treatment, authorities said on Monday.

A police sergeant and an officer on the Port Authority fire truck have broken limbs and are in stable condition at a hospital, according to preliminary information that NBC received from sources.

The New York City Fire Department said firefighters responded to reports of a plane that crashed into a vehicle on the runway at 11.38pm.

The US Federal Aviation Administration's National Airspace System website reported LaGuardia had closed.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for the airport, saying there was a "high" likelihood it would be extended.

The aircraft, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada's regional partner, had departed from Montreal, the platform said. NBC cited its sources as saying 76 passengers and four crew members were on board the plane, which was at the end of landing and going about 48 kilometres an hour when the collision occurred.

It "was rolling down the runway when it struck" the vehicle as it crossed its path, according to FlightRadar24.

New York's emergency management authority warned people to "expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel" near the major transport hub in the borough of Queens.

"Use alternate routes," it said on X.

All departing flights from LaGuardia had been either delayed or cancelled as of early Monday, the airport's website showed.

LaGuardia had already been suffering from flight disruptions due to poor weather, the airport said on X.

Passengers were also waiting longer to pass security due to "staffing impacts" from a federal funding lapse, it said last week. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2026-03-23 HKT 18:10


Edited by Tony Sabine