By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- An Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, late March 22, killing the pilot and co-pilot, authorities said.
- The Bombardier CRJ-900 was landing from Montreal when it struck the truck, which was crossing the runway as emergency personnel responded to a separate incident.
- At least 41 people — including passengers, crew and the fire truck occupants — were hospitalized with injuries following the collision.
- LaGuardia Airport was closed overnight and reopened the next day as federal investigators began probing the crash.
- The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are leading the ongoing investigation.
QUEENS, NY — An Air Canada Express regional jet struck a Port Authority fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, killing the aircraft’s pilot and co-pilot and injuring several others, officials said.
The Bombardier CRJ-900, operating as Flight 8646 from Montréal, was landing when it collided with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was crossing the active runway to respond to a separate emergency, according to preliminary reports.
Two occupants of the fire truck and dozens of the approximately 74 passengers and crew aboard the jet were taken to hospitals with injuries, with at least 41 people hospitalized, authorities said.
The runway collision prompted the airport’s closure overnight; LaGuardia reopened Monday afternoon as emergency responders and investigators worked at the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the runway incursion and crash.