A frightening incident unfolded at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night when a passenger plane collided with a fire truck on the runway, leaving multiple people injured and forcing a full airport shutdown.
According to officials, the Air Canada CRJ-900 regional jet had just arrived from Montreal and was taxiing toward the gate when it collided with the vehicle. The aircraft, carrying roughly 80 to 100 passengers, struck it at around 24 mph, according to Flightradar24.
The incident reportedly occurred just before 11:40 p.m. Sunday on Runway 4.
At least four people are reported to be critically injured, according to U.S. media. Among them are two Port Authority police officers assigned to firefighter duty, both of whom were taken to the hospital. Sources say one is a sergeant and the other an officer.
NBC News also reports that two pilots were killed in the crash.
Early reports suggest the fire truck had been granted permission by air traffic control to cross the runway. However, audio recordings indicate controllers urgently told the vehicle to stop multiple times just moments before the crash.
The exact cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Weather conditions in the area were reportedly poor at the time, which may have contributed to the incident.
Following the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights in and out of LaGuardia.
At least 18 flights were diverted to nearby airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.
Images from the scene show the aircraft stopped on the runway after the impact, highlighting the seriousness of the situation. Authorities are continuing to investigate what went wrong in the moments leading up to the collision.
READ MORE
