A devastating runway incident at New York’s LaGuardia Airport has resulted in the tragic deaths of two Air Canada pilots, identified as 30-year-old Antoine Forest from Québec and recent graduate Mackenzie Gunther from Toronto. The catastrophic collision occurred at 23:40 local time on Sunday (03:40 GMT Monday) when the aircraft struck an emergency response vehicle during landing procedures.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident that injured 41 people and necessitated the complete shutdown of airport operations until Monday afternoon. FAA Administrator Bran Bedford characterized the event as “an absolute tragedy” noting that “these were two young men at the start of their career.”
Critical evidence includes air traffic control recordings capturing urgent warnings of “‘Truck One, stop, stop, stop!” moments before impact. Investigators will analyze both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to determine the sequence of events.
Antoine Forest began his aviation journey flying bush planes in Saguenay in 2018 before joining Air Canada in December 2022. His great aunt, Jeannette Gagnier, revealed to the Toronto Star that Forest had demonstrated exceptional dedication to his craft, having flown his first plane at age 16 while consistently improving his English language skills during summer visits.
Mackenzie Gunther joined the airline after graduating from Seneca Polytechnic in 2023. The institution announced plans to lower campus flags to half-mast in honor of their alumnus, stating “Seneca sends our deepest condolences to Mr. Gunther’s family and friends, and to his former colleagues and professors. He will be deeply missed.”
In a remarkable survival story, flight attendant Solange Tremblay from Quebec was ejected from the aircraft and discovered alive while still strapped to her seat over 100 meters (300 feet) from the crash site, sustaining multiple fractures. Her daughter, Sarah Lépine, described the survival as “a complete miracle” and noted her mother had “a guardian angel watching over her.”
Two fire service personnel inside the struck emergency vehicle were also transported to medical facilities with injuries, adding to the total of 41 hospitalized individuals following the catastrophic airport incident.