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Air Canada Express jet hits ground vehicle, closing airport in New York

Emergency crews work around an Air Canada Express jet that had collided with a ground vehicle at New York's La Guardia Airport in Queens, New York, US, on March 23, 2026 — Reuters photo
Emergency crews work around an Air Canada Express jet that had collided with a ground vehicle at New York's La Guardia Airport in Queens, New York, US, on March 23, 2026 — Reuters photo

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An Air ‌Canada Express regional jet collided with a ground vehicle upon landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24, in an incident that closed the airport.

The CRJ-900 plane, which was coming from ​Montreal, struck the vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kph), said ​Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11:37 pm ET (0337 GMT).

Photos taken by Reuters ⁠after the accident showed visible damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward.

NBC ​News reported that four people were injured in the incident, which involved a fire truck manned by ​police officers, citing sources. The report said the pilot and copilot of the aircraft were badly injured, while a sergeant and an officer had broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital.

Authorities and emergency agencies did ​not offer any immediate comments on injuries.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected ​to remain shut until 2:00 pm ET on Monday (1800 GMT), and LaGuardia's website showed arriving planes had been diverted ‌to ⁠other airports or returned to their point of origin.

The plane involved in the accident was operated by Air Canada's regional partner Jazz, which is owned by Chorus Aviation Jazz's CRJ-900 planes can seat up to 76 passengers, according to Air Canada's website. NBC News reported 76 passengers and four crew ​members were on board.

Air ​Canada, Chorus Aviation, the ⁠National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The New York Fire Department said that it was responding to ​a reported incident at the airport's Runway 4 involving a plane and ​a vehicle ⁠at LaGuardia airport, directing further queries to Port Authority Police, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New York City's emergency notification system said people could expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and ⁠emergency ​personnel near the airport.

LaGuardia served over 30 million annual passengers ​in 2025, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a wide range of US airlines operate ​at the airport.

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