2 Dead, 41 Injured After Air Canada Plane Collides With Fire Truck At LaGuardia Airport, New York

The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express passenger jet are dead after the plane struck a Port Authority vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York late last night (Sunday 22nd March, 2026).

Forty-one (41) people were injured in the collision and were treated at local Hospitals, with some seriously injured. Thirty-two (32) have since been released, the Port Authority said.

The collision involved a Jazz Aviation flight operated on behalf of Air Canada. The plane was carrying seventy-two (72) passengers and four (4) crew members.

According to a Port Authority Spokesperson, a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting truck was responding to unrelated reports of an “odor” on a United Airlines flight, when it was struck by the plane at 11:40 PM.

NEW: New video footage captures the moment an Air Canada jet and a fire truck collided at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Here is what we know:

- The plane’s two pilots sadly died.

- 41 passengers and crew members were taken to the hospital.

- Audio from the air traffic tower… pic.twitter.com/KKw4xdmQXv

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 23, 2026

LaGuardia Airport was closed following the incident, but re-opened a single runway at 2:00 PM ET this afternoon, warning travelers to expect delays and cancelations.

The deadly collision between the Air Canada plane and the Port Authority vehicle is the first fatal crash at LaGuardia Airport in over three (3) decades, officials said today.

(Click/Tap Images To Enlarge)

“The Port Authority takes great pride in being able to work with all of our partners to deliver safety for the flying public, and it has been over thirty-four (34) years since we had had an incident with a death at the Airport,” Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said during a Press Conference.

The Port Authority vehicle involved in the collision with the Air Canada plane was carrying two (2) people, and both are expected to be released from the Hospital soon, Garcia told reporters. 

The Port Authority later identified the men as Sgt. Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez. “Both were taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital,” Garcia said at the Press Conference today. “We expect one to be released later this afternoon, and the other to be kept overnight for observation.”

Audio from Air Traffic Control when plane collided with fire truck at New York airport:

"Stop Truck 1, stop!"

"We were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up" pic.twitter.com/7dJcFov4gq

— BNO News (@BNONews) March 23, 2026

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani assured New Yorkers that the investigation will be thorough. “I know that this crash has shaken New Yorkers across the five (5) boroughs, whether they are traveling today or simply watching from home, especially since it’s the first fatal crash at LaGuardia in more than thirty (30) years,” Mamdani said during the Press Conference at LaGuardia.

“I want New Yorkers to know that the National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] is investigating the cause of this accident, and that we will not rest until the conclusion of that investigation,” he said. 

More on this as it becomes available. 

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

[Source: NBC News] 

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