In brief
Antoine Forest, 30, and Mackenzie Gunther were identified as the pilots killed in a plane collision at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday. The crash left 41 passengers injured, and an ongoing investigation is revealing critical details about air traffic control failures. Both pilots had bright futures cut short by this tragedy, raising questions about aviation safety.
The two Air Canada pilots killed when a plane crashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport have been identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther.
Local media reported Forest was 30-years-old and from Québec, while Gunther graduated from Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto in 2023.
The incident, which happened at 23:40 local time on Sunday (03:40 GMT on Monday), injured 41 people who were taken to hospital and shut the New York airport until Monday afternoon. These were two young men at the start of their career, so it's an absolute tragedy that we're sitting here with their loss, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Bran Bedford said.
Forest had learned to fly bush planes in Saguenay in 2018 before being hired by Air Canada in December 2022. His great aunt, Jeannette Gagnier, shared fond memories of Forest, noting his dedication to flying. Gunther, who joined Air Canada after graduating, was also cherished by his former college, which announced flags would be lowered to half-mast.
In a miraculous twist, flight attendant Solange Tremblay survived the crash after being ejected from the plane and found alive strapped to her seat. Her daughter described the incident as a complete miracle amidst the tragedy.
Investigations into the crash are ongoing, with reports highlighting air traffic control struggles, a lack of radar alerts, and equipment failures that contributed to the disaster.
