Shortly before midnight on Sunday, an Air Canada regional jet collided with a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The pilot and co-pilot were reportedly killed in the collision, and several others were injured.
The Jazz Aviation flight, collided with the Port Authority emergency vehicle that was responding to an earlier call with a plane on the runway that requested assistance because of an unknown odor in the cockpit, CNN reported. The plane was traveling at approximately 130 miles per hour when it struck the vehicle.
“At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada was involved in an incident on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in which the aircraft struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident,” a statement released by LaGuardia Airport.
“Emergency response protocols were immediately activated,” noted the statement. “The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s Chairman and Executive Director. The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation.”
The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, CNN reported. Two people from the Port Authority emergency vehicle were injured. The plane had 72 passengers and four crew members on board and was arriving from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. No passengers reportedly suffered any serious injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced LaGuardia Airport would be closed until Monday at 2 p.m. EST to “facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation.” The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive at the airport on Monday and begin an investigation of the collision, according to reports. Earlier Sunday evening, LaGuardia Airport warned that many flights were experiencing delays and disruptions due to weather conditions.
Sunday’s collision comes amid widespread chaos and delays at airports across the country due to the lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has left Transportation Security Administration workers unpaid for weeks. As a result, a significant number of TSA workers have called out, causing significant delays in security lines for travelers.
