'Like the plane got cut in half': LaGuardia crash that killed two pilots now under investigation

"We were literally like 100 metres away," said 23-year-old Leo Medina, who was onboard another plane on the tarmac when the crash happened. "It was like the plane got cut in half."

In addition to killing the two pilots, the incident, which happened at 23:40 local time on Sunday (03:40 GMT on Monday), injured 41 people who were taken to hospital, some with serious injuries, and shut down LaGuardia through Monday morning.

After visiting the crash site, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said he was reminded of the importance of wearing seat belts - on an aircraft or in any other mode of transportation.

"As you see from last night, they do save lives," Duffy said during a news conference.

Québec native Antoine Forest, 30, was identified as one of the Air Canada pilots who died in the collision, according to reports in Canadian media. The other pilot has not yet been named.

"These were two young men at the start of their career, so it's an absolute tragedy," FAA administrator Bran Bedford said.

Passenger Rebecca Liquori, who was on the plane arriving from Montreal when it hit the truck, told News12 Long Island there was a loud "boom" just after it landed.

"As we were descending, we hit a lot of turbulence," she said. "Then we landed very roughly… Everyone felt it. It was like the plane jolted and you heard the pilot try to brake trying to prevent the collision."

"As you heard the brake, a couple seconds later it was just a very loud boom," she said. "Everybody jolted out of their seats."

'Stop, stop, stop': Listen to LaGuardia control tower audio during collisionIn audio from the air traffic control tower at LaGuardia, a staff member can be heard saying: "'Truck One, stop, stop, stop!" in the seconds before the crash.

The fire truck had been called out minutes earlier to an incident on board another plane that "reported an issue with odour", according to Port Authority executive director Kathryn Garcia.

Liquori described passengers helping each other slide down a wing to get out.

"I'm just happy to be alive," she said. "I would have never pictured a one-hour flight that I've done countless times … ending like this."

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described it as a "tragic collision" and said the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating Sunday's incident.

"I am grateful to our first responders, whose swift actions saved lives."

"We went down for a regular landing," he said. "We immediately hit something and it was just chaos from there … Everybody was hunkered down and everybody was screaming."

Katie Rojas, 26, whose flight to Chicago was on the runway ready to depart when the crash happened said: "It's scary. You never know if it could have been one of us. [moved up]

Many of the 40 taken to hospital have been released. Two people in the fire engine, which collided with the plane, are hospitalised.

At the news conference, New York Mayor Mamdani commended "those who were thrust into a frightening accident and reacted not only with composure, but by extending a hand to the person next to them".

He said he knows the crash has shaken New Yorkers but reassured them that the NTSB is investigating and "we will not rest until the conclusion of that investigation".

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney called the crash "deeply saddening" and US President Donald Trump said the crash is "terrible", describing it as "a dangerous business".

LaGuardia - one of the busiest in the US - closed until 1400 Monday, leaving hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled. It has been more than 34 years since LaGuardia had an incident with a death at the airport, officials said on Monday.

The crash comes during a tumultuous time in air travel. For weeks, US airports have faced Transport Security Administration (TSA) staffing shortages due to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA, ICE and other agencies.

That has left airport security staff without pay for over a month, led to a spike in TSA agents calling out of work, and caused hours-long delays for travellers at security checkpoints.

Some of her colleagues have called out sick amid the ongoing shutdown, she said, and while it varies from agent to agent, "for the most part people are trying to show up to work".

Hundreds of ICE agents have been deployed to 14 airports, in cities including New York, Atlanta and Houston.

An early morning post from Trump soothed panicked markets, but the extent of any talks remains unclear.

The US-Israel war with Iran has seen continued attacks on Tehran and the Gulf states as Trump postpones his threat to strike Iranian power plants.

'Stop, stop, stop': Listen to LaGuardia control tower audio during collisionAn Air Canada plane carrying 72 passengers and four crew initially landed safely from Montreal on Sunday evening before colliding with a firefighting vehicle.

Students at a Scottish university have been asked to design a tartan to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.