NEW YORK – An Air Canada flight collided with a ground vehicle while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Sunday night, leaving the pilot and co-pilot dead.
The flight from Montreal was landing at around 11:40pm when the aircraft struck a Port Authority rescue vehicle on the runway, a spokesman told the Daily Mail.
Sources told NBC New York that the pilot and co-pilot died in the collision. Multiple others were injured.
The aircraft struck the rescue vehicle, which was responding to a separate incident at the time, the Port Authority spokesman added.
The plane could be seen on the tarmac after the incident, with its nose badly damaged, front tilted into the air.
The flight was affiliated with Jazz Aviation, a regional airline in Nova Scotia, and was operating on behalf of Air Canada.
‘Emergency response protocols were immediately activated. The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s chairman and executive director,’ a Port Authority spokesman said in a statement.
‘The Port Authority Police Department is working closely with our airline partners as well as federal authorities and will provide additional updates as more details become available.’
The New York Fire Department confirmed to the Daily Mail that its crews had received reports of an incident involving an aircraft and a vehicle on runway four.
The Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft was reportedly carrying 76 passengers and crew during the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a ground stop due to an aircraft emergency, effectively closing LaGuardia Airport at 11:50pm EST.
Photos of the aftermath showed Port Authority Police removing the front half of the plane.
Port Authority’s vehicle was pictured after the collision turned on its side as several emergency responders flooded the runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the collision.
The Daily Mail has reached out to LaGuardia Airport, the FAA and Air Canada for comment.
LaGuardia warned of flight disruptions due to weather conditions at 8.30pm EST as New York experienced rainy conditions.
The incident comes as airports are already facing mounting pressure amid a DHS funding standoff.
Leave a comment