The Canadian pilots killed on a New York runway over the weekend after their jet collided with a fire truck are being hailed as heroes for rapid reflexes that saved the lives of passengers on board.
The two men who died in the crash at LaGuardia Airport are also being remembered by those who knew them as enthusiastic aviators who had realized their dreams of a career in the skies.
Capt. Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther were killed after Air Canada Express Flight 8646, carrying 72 passengers, slammed into a fire truck at high speed just before midnight on March 22. The force of the impact destroyed the plane’s nose and flipped the truck.
Passengers aboard the aircraft en route from Montreal reported experiencing a sudden and forceful braking motion after touching down at approximately 11:45 p.m., just before the crash.
Passenger Clément Lelièvre told The Canadian Press he felt the plane brake “extremely hard” as it touched down and credited the pilots with preventing further loss of life.
“I don’t know the circumstances, but I think he kind of saved our lives because he must have had incredible reflexes,” he said.
Forty-one of the 74 passengers and crew members and two people from the fire truck, were taken to hospital, some with serious injuries. Most had been released by the following morning, authorities said.
FAA Administrator Brian Bedford called the incident “an absolute tragedy” while speaking with reporters on March 23.
“These were two young men at the start of their careers,” he said.
Antoine Forest
Forrest, 30, got his start as a pilot flying bush planes in Saguenay, Que. Family members said he always wanted to be a pilot.“Have a safe flight, my brother! Oh yes, we’ve often heard that phrase, but this time will be the last,” he wrote. “You were coming and going in the wind, always full of new projects in mind. Gone again in the wind too soon to say goodbye. I love you brother, you can leave with your head held high.”
Forest was from Coteau-du-Lac, a small city in southwestern Quebec. He began working for Air Canada in December 2022.
The city posted a memorial for Forest to its social media pages on March 23.
“The City of Coteau-du-Lac and the members of the municipal council would like to offer their deepest condolences to his family, relatives and friends,” the post said. “We wish them all the comfort they need to get through this ordeal.”
Mackenzie Gunther
Mackenzie Gunther graduated from the Honours Bachelor of Aviation Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic in 2023, the college said in a March 23 statement. The program is based out of the Peterborough Regional Airport in Peterborough, Ont.The school said he joined the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program, a training program operated by Air Canada, immediately after graduating.
“This is tragic news for our community,” the school said. “Seneca sends our deepest condolences to Mr. Gunther’s family and friends, and to his former colleagues and professors. He will be deeply missed.”
Investigation
The crash remains under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, with support from the FAA and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which has sent investigators to help analyze the crash.Investigators said the NTSB is examining why the fire truck crossed the runway during the plane’s landing and why it failed to halt after the control tower gave it last-second warnings.
There are also questions remaining about the role of air traffic controllers in the crash.
One air traffic controller could be heard on a radio transmission giving clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac, then trying to stop it after realizing the jet had already received clearance to land.
Homendy cautioned against “pointing fingers at controllers and saying distraction was involved.”
Wreckage from the crash remains on the runway as the NTSB continues to sift through debris.
