By Gabe Whisnant
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Antoine Forest and MacKenzie Gunther were the two pilots killed when an Air Canada Express jet collided with an emergency vehicle while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to family members and media reports.
Forest, a first officer with Air Canada Express, was piloting the flight from Montreal when the aircraft struck a fire truck late Sunday on the tarmac. He and Gunther, the flight's first officer, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Bryan Bedford, administrator with the Federal Aviation Administration, described the pilots as "two young men at the start of their careers."
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“It’s an absolute tragedy," he added.
Several passengers were injured, and 32 people were later released from hospital, the Port Authority said.
Passenger Clément Lelièvre credited the pilots' “incredible reflexes” with saving his life and others'. The pilots braked extremely hard just as the plane touched down, he said.
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Antoine Forest: What to Know
Jeannette Gagnier, the great‑aunt of one of the pilots, identified him as Antoine Forest. Gagnier told The Associated Press that Forest, who viewed her as a grandmother figure, had wanted to be a pilot from a young age. His LinkedIn profile shows he worked for two airlines over the past five years.
Forest was from Coteau‑du‑Lac, a small city in southwestern Quebec, according to his Facebook page. The city’s mayor, Andrée Brosseau, offered condolences to Forest’s family in a message posted Tuesday and translated from French.
“Antoine was one of our own. In a community like ours, everyone knows someone who knew him,” Brosseau wrote. “His passing represents an immense loss for our entire community.”
Forest’s brother, Cédric Forest, shared a childhood photo of the two on Facebook. “Have a safe flight, my brother,” he wrote. “You were coming and going in the wind, always full of new projects. Gone again in the wind, too soon to say goodbye.”
A woman who identified herself as Forest’s girlfriend, also a young pilot, posted a photo of the couple Tuesday, captioning it “the love of my life.”
MacKenzie Gunther: What to Know
Gunther, identified by CBC News via Radio-Canada as the second pilot killed in the crash, was also based in Canada and had built his young career flying regional aircraft. He was serving as first officer on the flight, according to the report.
Details about his background and training were still emerging Monday as authorities and airlines notified families.
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LaGuardia Airport Runway Crash: The Latest
The jet was carrying more than 70 passengers when it crashed on the runway late Sunday.
Photos from LaGuardia showed the nose of the aircraft completely destroyed. U.S. investigators are examining the collision, which occurred as the plane was landing and the fire truck was responding to a separate issue involving another aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, with additional details expected from U.S. and Canadian authorities.
“I can’t give specifics on what went wrong,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, deferring to the NTSB, which is leading the investigation. Canada also sent a team of investigators.
The impact crushed the cockpit and sent debris across the runway. A flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, was thrown from the aircraft while still strapped into her seat, her daughter told a Canadian television station. The flight attendant survived, officials said.
The fire truck had been crossing the runway shortly before midnight after receiving clearance to respond to another aircraft that had reported an odor in the cabin. Moments before the collision, air traffic control recordings capture a controller urgently telling the truck to stop.
Roughly 20 minutes later, the controller appeared to blame himself during radio communications. “We were dealing with an emergency earlier,” the controller said. “I messed up.”
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said the two occupants of the rescue vehicle involved in the collision — Sgt. Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez — were taken to a hospital. She said one is expected to be released later Tuesday, while the other will remain hospitalized overnight for observation.
Air Canada Passengers React to Crash
Passenger Rebecca Liquori said the plane hit turbulence while descending, and she then felt it brake hard and heard a loud boom.
“Everybody just jolted out of their seats. People hit their heads. People were bleeding,” Liquori told News12 Long Island, a station where she once worked.
Liquori said passengers helped each other slide down a wing.
“I’m just happy to be alive,” said Liquori, who had gone to Montreal for a cousin’s baby shower. “I would have never pictured a one-hour flight that I’ve done countless times … ending like this.”
Updates: 3/23/26, 7:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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