New York’s LaGuardia Airport reopened at 2 p.m. ET on Monday with a single runway after an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck while landing there late Sunday night, killing two pilots and injuring dozens of passengers, officials said. The crash damaged the aircraft’s nose and had prompted LaGuardia to shut down on Monday morning, leading air traffic to be diverted.
The pilot and copilot of the Air Canada plane were killed, and 41 passengers and crew members, some with serious injuries, were taken to local hospitals. Of those injured, 32 have since been released, Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said Monday morning.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a Monday afternoon news conference that the two pilots who died were “young men at the start of their careers” and called the incident an “absolute tragedy.”
Two of the injured are Port Authority employees who were inside the fire truck, and are expected to be released from the hospital soon, Garcia told reporters Monday afternoon. “Both were taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital,” Garcia said. “We expect one to be released later this afternoon, and the other to be kept overnight for observation.” The men were later identified by the Port Authority as Sgt. Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez.
Following the crash, a flight attendant was found still strapped in a jump seat after it had been ejected from the aircraft, multiple media outlets reported. The employee was injured but is expected to survive.
There was also an unaccompanied minor on the flight, and they have since been reunited with their family, Garcia said.
The Air Canada plane, operated by Jazz Aviation, carried 72 passengers and four crew members. Bedford said the FAA is committed to a “full, transparent investigation” and that it will support the National Transportation Safety Board. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it’s deploying a team of investigators to support the NTSB in its investigation.
A damaged Port Authority fire truck near the runway on March 23 after it collided with an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 at LaGuardia Airport.
(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
The fire truck involved in the collision was traveling across the runway to respond to a separate incident on board a United Airlines flight that reported an odor issue. Moments before the crash, audio of an air traffic controller revealed that they gave clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac. Moments later, a controller can be heard saying, “Stop, stop, stop, truck 1 stop, truck 1, stop.”
Later in the audio transmission, a distraught controller appears to say, “We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up.”
Preliminary data show that the Air Canada plane was traveling between 93 and 105 mph when it collided with the fire truck, ABC News reported, citing FlightRadar24.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he’s been asking Congress “for additional money” for air traffic control. “We are modernizing our system, but we can’t fully modernize it until the Congress gives us the additional money,” Duffy said at Monday’s afternoon press conference. “I’m not saying that this crash would have been prevented if we had all the equipment deployed,” Duffy added, “but it’s important if we care about air travel safety, we care about having a brand new air traffic control system, the best in the world, with the best equipment, virtually all of it developed here in America.”
The Air Canada Express jet sits on the runway at LaGuardia on March 23.
(New York Daily News via Getty Images)
President Trump called the fatal accident “terrible” as he answered a question from a reporter on Monday morning in Florida. “They made a mistake. It’s a dangerous business. That’s terrible,” Trump said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the collision “deeply saddening” in a Monday post on X. He expressed his sympathies, writing, “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those impacted.”
An Air Canada passenger recounted her experience on board the plane as it collided with the fire truck. “When we landed, everyone felt it,” Rebecca Liquori told News 12. “It was like the plane jolted and you heard the pilot try to brake, like he was trying to prevent the collision.”
“A couple seconds later, it was just a very loud boom and everybody just jolted out of their seats, people hit their heads, people were bleeding,” Liquori recalled.
The fatal accident adds to airport disruptions in the U.S. linked to the ongoing partial government shutdown. Transportation Security Administration employees have been working without pay since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, prompting thousands to call out of work. Staffing shortages have plagued U.S. airports, leading to long lines and extended wait times.
Canceled flights are displayed on a screen at Terminal B in LaGuardia Airport on March 23.
(Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey had to temporarily pause flight arrivals and departures on Monday morning after a burning smell came from an elevator in the air traffic control tower, prompting controllers to evacuate. No injuries were reported and the delay lasted less than an hour. It was not related to Sunday’s fatal accident at LaGuardia.
This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.