An Air Canada flight collided with a ground vehicle while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Sunday night, leaving the pilot and co-pilot dead.
The flight from Montreal was landing at around 11:40pm when the aircraft struck a Port Authority rescue vehicle on the runway, a spokesman told the Daily Mail.
Sources told NBC New York that the pilot and co-pilot died in the collision. Multiple others were injured.
The aircraft struck the rescue vehicle, which was responding to a separate incident at the time, the Port Authority spokesman added.
The plane could be seen on the tarmac after the incident, with its nose badly damaged, front tilted into the air.
The flight was affiliated with Jazz Aviation, a regional airline in Nova Scotia, and was operating on behalf of Air Canada.
‘Emergency response protocols were immediately activated. The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s Chairman and Executive Director,’ a Port Authority spokesman said in a statement.
‘The Port Authority Police Department is working closely with our airline partners as well as federal authorities, and will provide additional updates as more details become available.’
An Air Canada Express plane collided with a Port Authority vehicle on Sunday night on Runway 4 of LaGuardia Airport. The cockpit suffered severe damage
The Port Authority vehicle was turned on its side as several emergency responders flooded the runway
The jet, which had reportedly been carrying 76 passengers and crew, being removed from the runway by Port Authority Police following the incident
The New York Fire Department confirmed to the Daily Mail that its crews had received reports of an incident involving an aircraft and a vehicle on runway four.
The Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft was reportedly carrying 76 passengers and crew during the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a ground stop due to an aircraft emergency, effectively closing LaGuardia Airport at 11.50pm EST.
Photos of the aftermath showed Port Authority Police removing the front half of the plane.
Port Authority’s vehicle was pictured after the collision turned on its side as several emergency responders flooded the runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the collision.
The Daily Mail has reached out to LaGuardia Airport, the FAA and Air Canada for comment.
LaGuardia warned of flight disruptions due to weather conditions at 8.30pm EST as New York experienced rainy conditions.
The incident comes as airports are already facing mounting pressure amid a DHS funding standoff.
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Photos of the crash first circulated on the Citizen app. The grainy images depicted the front of the plane badly damaged as emergency services arrived
Emergency personnel worked to clear the damage overnight on Monday in the aftermath of the collision
Port Authority Police and FDNY responded to the collision. LaGuardia subsequently closed to allow emergency crews to respond. The aftermath of the collision is pictured above as Port Authority worked to clear the plane
LaGuardia is among many airports facing challenges, with employees forced to work without pay and passengers facing long security lines.
Travelers reported lines spilling through the parking lot on Sunday morning, with some saying they waited for up to three hours.
Donald Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be sent to airports on Monday to help TSA agents.
‘If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before!’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
‘I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to,”GET READY.” NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!’
Multiple emergency personnel vehicles reponsed to the scene, pictured above. The massive response caused the airport to close
Information is still coming to light as to what caused the crash. A massive rescue presence was seen at the airport in the early hours of Monday
The Port Authority vehicle was responding to a separate incident when the crash occurred. The Air Canada plane is pictured above on the tarmac in the aftermath of the collision
Border czar Tom Homan told CNN that he had been working to finalize a plan with ICE Director Tedd Lyons and acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill to deploy ICE agents.
He added that the officials would have a plan, including which airports would be targeted, in place by the end of the day on Sunday.
