Two Air Canada Pilots Dead, Several Injured In Plane Crash At LaGuardia Airport

Two Air Canada pilots were killed, several others injured, in a plane crash late Sunday night at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, issued a statement Monday confirming two pilots perished when the jet carrying 76 people touched down and slammed into a fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia. Garcia confirmed that all 72 passengers and four crew members have been accounted for in a video shared by CBS News.

“Sadly, the two pilots are confirmed deceased and notifications are being made by Air Canada’s care team at this time,” Garcia said during a news conference Monday morning. Both pilots were based in Canada. Their identities were not disclosed.

Garcia informed the public that a total of 41 people were taken to two separate hospitals in Queens, and confirmed 32 have already been released. Nine individuals remain under the care of medical professionals, including some in serious condition.

The two Port Authority employees who were in the fire truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 23: An Air Canada Express plane sits on the tarmac after it collided with a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, 2026 in New York City. The plane had landed from a flight from Montreal. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The jet departed Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal and touched down at LaGuardia, striking the fire truck which was attending a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight that had an issue with odor on takeoff.

Images from the scene showed a heavily damaged jetliner on the runway, surrounded by several rescue vehicles. The nose of the jet was pointed upward, and the cockpit appeared to be crushed. Wires and flight controls were visible amid the destruction. (RELATED: Multiple Fatalities Reported After Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crashes Into School)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 23: An Air Canada Express plane sits on the tarmac after it collided with a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, 2026 in New York City. The plane had landed from a flight from Montreal. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Emergency personnel respond to the Port Authority fire truck that was struck by a landing Air Canada Express plane at LaGuardia Airport in New York, on March 23, 2026. Air Canada Express flight AC8646 originated from Montreal and collided with the fire truck during landing. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)

LaGuardia airport will remain closed until at least 2 p.m. Garcia notified the press that The National Transportation Safety Board has taken carriage of the investigation and will issue further updates when available.

This is a developing story.