FAA

March 23 (UPI) — An Air Canada regional jet with nearly 80 people onboard collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, prompting federal officials to halt air traffic to and from the airport.

The FAA ordered the ground stop at 12:04 a.m. EDT, according to a statement from its Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The agency later said the airport would be closed until 2 p.m.

The plane struck the Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle on Runway 4 late Sunday as it was responding to a separate, unknown incident, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LaGuardia, told UPI in a statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement the involved vehicle was a fire truck and that it had deployed a team expected to arrive at LaGuardia later Monday to begin its investigation.

The extent of the collision and whether there were any casualties was unclear early Monday.

The Port Authority said the airport was closed to facilitate the response and allow for an investigation. Emergency response protocols were activated and its police force was at the scene working with airline and federal authorities, the agency said.

The New York Fire Department confirmed to UPI that it had responded to an incident.

Air Canada confirmed to UPI that it was aware of the crash involving Air Canada Express Flight 8646 from Montreal, Canada, to New York City.

The flight was operated by Jazz Aviation, which said in a statement that the incident occurred at 11:47 p.m. EST Sunday. The plane was carrying 72 passengers and four crew, the Halifax-based airline said.

All streets and highway exits to the airport have been closed until further notice, according to the New York Police Department.

New York City’s official Emergency Notification System has issued an alert warning residents to expect “cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near LaGuardia Airport.”

Flight 8646, a CRJ900 regional jet, had departed from Montreal at about 10:35 p.m. EST, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

This is a developing story.

The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration agreed to conduct anti-drone laser tests in New Mexico after the military’s deployment of the lasers led the FAA to suddenly close airspace in Texas twice in the last month.

The newly announced testing was being carried out to “specifically address FAA safety concerns,” the military said Friday in a statement. It was to take place over the weekend at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Lawmakers were concerned about an apparent lack of coordination after the Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser in early February without notifying the FAA. The federal agency that ensures safety in the skies decided to close the airspace over El Paso for a few hours, stranding travelers.

The Trump administration said it was working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border.

On Feb. 26 the U.S. military said it used the laser to shoot down a “seemingly threatening” drone flying near the U.S.-Mexico border. It turned out the drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection, lawmakers said.

The incident led the FAA to close the airspace around Ft. Hancock, about 50 miles southeast of El Paso.

“We appreciate the coordination with the Department of War to help ensure public safety,” the FAA said of the testing in a separate statement, referring to the Department of Defense. “The FAA and DOW are working with interagency partners to address emerging threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems while maintaining the safety of the National Airspace System.”

The military is required to formally notify the FAA when it takes any counter-drone action inside U.S. airspace.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), the ranking member on the Senate’s aviation subcommittee, previously called for an independent investigation after the two February incidents.

Ding writes for the Associated Press.