The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed when their aircraft collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.

The crash, which occurred on Runway 4 around 11:40 p.m. local time, also injured two Port Authority police officers who were operating the emergency vehicle. The officers suffered broken limbs and were hospitalized in stable condition, according to NBC News.

The circumstances of the collision are unusual and will face intense scrutiny: the fire truck was crossing an active runway while responding to a separate incident — another aircraft had reported an unknown odor in its cockpit, a law enforcement official told CNN.

A Collision Captured in Audio

Air traffic control recordings obtained by LiveATC.net capture the final moments before impact. A controller grants permission for an operations truck to cross the runway. Seconds later, urgent commands follow.

“Truck One, stop, stop, stop!” the controller is heard saying, according to CNN. Then, addressing the aircraft: “JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can’t move. Vehicles are responding to you now.”

The exchange raises immediate questions for investigators: Was the fire truck properly cleared to enter the runway? Did the flight crew receive warning of the vehicle’s presence? What protocols govern emergency vehicles crossing active landing zones?

What Happened

Flight 8646, operated by Jazz Aviation on behalf of Air Canada, was arriving from Montreal with 72 passengers and four crew members aboard, according to a preliminary passenger list from the airline. The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-900 twin-engine regional jet, was traveling at approximately 24 to 30 mph when it struck the Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, according to flight tracking data from Flightradar24 and sources cited by NBC News.

Photographs from the scene show the aircraft’s nose section severely damaged, the plane tilted upward with its tail resting on the ground. Weather conditions at the time included light rain and mist, with visibility reduced to about three miles.

The two pilots were pronounced dead at the scene. The New York City medical examiner’s office is handling the case, NBC News reported. Among the passengers, sources told NBC that more than a dozen suffered various injuries, with many transported to area hospitals.

Airport Closed, Investigation Underway

LaGuardia Airport remains closed. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop shortly after the collision, with the facility expected to remain shuttered until at least 2 p.m. ET Monday. Eighteen flights were diverted to other airports or returned to their origin, Flightradar24 reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching a full investigative team expected to arrive Monday. The FAA is also investigating.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said in a statement that emergency response protocols were “immediately activated” and that the airport’s closure would “facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation.”

LaGuardia, located in the borough of Queens, served more than 30 million passengers in 2025, according to the Port Authority.

The Questions Ahead

Runway incursions — when aircraft, vehicles, or pedestrians enter a runway without authorization — are among aviation safety’s most serious concerns. That this incident involved an emergency vehicle responding to a separate call adds complexity to an already grim equation.

Investigators will examine communications between air traffic control, the fire truck, and the flight crew. They will review whether standard protocols for runway crossings were followed, and whether those protocols are adequate for emergency responses. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, if recovered intact, may provide critical evidence.

For now, two families mourn, two officers recover, and one of America’s busiest airports sits silent — all because a plane and a truck ended up in the same place at the same time.

Sources