Air Canada jet collision leaves two pilots dead

File: Plane crash

Two pilots were killed, and at least 41 people were injured after a passenger jet collided with a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport late on Sunday night in Queens, New York City, forcing the closure of the airport and triggering a federal investigation.

The aircraft, an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members on a flight from Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport when it struck a firefighting vehicle responding to a separate emergency on the runway.

According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the collision occurred at about 11:45pm ET, leaving the pilot and co-pilot dead and several passengers and firefighters seriously injured, with nine people hospitalised.

US President Donald Trump described the incident as “terrible,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the crash was “deeply saddening.” Punch