The two pilots killed when an Air Canada plane crashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport have been identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. Local media reported that Forest was 30 years old and from Québec, while Gunther graduated from Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto in 2023. The tragic incident took place at 23:40 local time on Sunday, injuring 41 individuals who were taken to hospitals and shutting down the 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, stated Bran Bedford, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator.
Forest learned to fly bush planes in Saguenay in 2018 and began working for Jazz Aviation in December 2022. Gunther, also recently employed by Jazz, was remembered by Seneca as a talented student who would be greatly missed.
The flight operated by Air Canada Express carrier Jazz Aviation originated in Montreal. A flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, remarkably survived after being ejected from the plane and discovered strapped to her seat more than a hundred meters away, suffering from multiple fractures. In her daughter Sarah Lépine's words, it was a 'complete miracle.' The two officers inside the fire truck that collided with the plane were also hospitalized with injuries.
Air traffic controllers had cleared both the aircraft and the fire truck to cross the runway just seconds before the crash occurred, raising significant concerns over the air traffic control system and its operations. Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, emphasized the need for updated systems and more information for controllers concerning ground movements, warning against placing blame on any individuals involved in the incident.}
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, stated Bran Bedford, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator.
Forest learned to fly bush planes in Saguenay in 2018 and began working for Jazz Aviation in December 2022. Gunther, also recently employed by Jazz, was remembered by Seneca as a talented student who would be greatly missed.
The flight operated by Air Canada Express carrier Jazz Aviation originated in Montreal. A flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, remarkably survived after being ejected from the plane and discovered strapped to her seat more than a hundred meters away, suffering from multiple fractures. In her daughter Sarah Lépine's words, it was a 'complete miracle.' The two officers inside the fire truck that collided with the plane were also hospitalized with injuries.
Air traffic controllers had cleared both the aircraft and the fire truck to cross the runway just seconds before the crash occurred, raising significant concerns over the air traffic control system and its operations. Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, emphasized the need for updated systems and more information for controllers concerning ground movements, warning against placing blame on any individuals involved in the incident.}
