Air Canada Express jet hits ground vehicle, closing New York’s LaGuardia airport

(Corrects day in paragraph 1 to Sunday)

March 23 (Reuters) – An Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a ground vehicle upon landing at New York’s LaGuardia airport on Sunday evening, 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), Flightradar24 said. The jet was operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop for all planes at the airport until 0530 GMT, according to a notice from the regulator.

The FAA notice showed that the reason for the halt at the airport was an emergency and there was a high probability of an extension, without specifying any details.

LaGuardia’s website showed arriving planes had been diverted to other airports or returned to their point of origin.

In a separate notice to airmen, the FAA said that the airport could be shut until 1800 GMT.

Unverified footage on social media showed damage to the nose of the plane, as it tilted upward. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.

The New York Fire Department in a statement said that it was responding to a reported incident involving a plane and a vehicle on the runway at LaGuardia airport, but did not provide further details.

Air Canada and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Jamie Freed)