New York’s LaGuardia Airport was brought to a halt Sunday night following a collision between an Air Canada Express plane and a ground vehicle on the runway, leading to an immediate shutdown of the airport.
The aircraft, a CRJ-900 regional jet, had just arrived from Montreal when the collision occurred. According to U.S. media and flight-tracking data, it was rolling along the runway at about 24 mph (39 km/h) when it struck a Port Authority firefighting vehicle that was responding to another emergency.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quickly issued a ground stop for all flights at LaGuardia, citing an emergency and warning there was a “high” chance the halt would be extended. Images from the scene showed the jet stopped on the runway with visible damage to its nose, with the front of the aircraft tilted upward after the impact.
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While New York police confirmed that the plane hit a Port Authority vehicle upon landing, they did not immediately provide further details about how the two came to be on the same stretch of tarmac.
Emergency crews from the New York City Fire Department and Port Authority rushed to the scene within minutes. As reported by ABC News, two people, believed to be the pilot and co-pilot, were killed, while 13 others were hospitalized with injuries, including 11 passengers and two first responders.
According to NBC News and other media sources, there were 76 people on board the flight from Montreal, including four crew members. Officials also said the jet was operated by Jazz Aviation.
.@FDNY Activity: Expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays & emergency personnel near LaGuardia Airport in Queens. Use alternate routes.
— NYCEM – Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) March 23, 2026
In response to the accident, LaGuardia Airport was quickly shut down. The FAA’s ground stop initially extended into the early hours of Monday, and later notices suggested operations could remain heavily restricted until 2 p.m. ET, with a high likelihood of further disruption.
Flights bound for the affected airport were diverted to other New York-area airports or turned back to their origin. The disruption led passengers to either rebook or reroute their journeys. On LaGuardia’s website, arriving flights were shown to be redirected or canceled as authorities kept the field closed to ensure safety while continuing the investigation.
Taking to X, the New York City Fire Department asked people to “expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near LaGuardia Airport.” An investigation has been launched by the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the details of the collision.
