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Two pilots killed in a collision on a LaGuardia Airport runway were identified as Mackenzie Gunther and Antoine Forrest, after officials had not publicly released their names. The crash occurred when an Air Canada regional jet operating on behalf of Air Canada landed at LaGuardia and collided with a fire truck on the runway, according to reporting that drew on a family member and an education institution that confirmed one pilot’s background.
FAA Administrator Brian Bedford told reporters Monday that the crash involved “two young men at the start of their careers” and said, “It’s an absolute tragedy that we’re sitting here with their loss.” Officials said the investigation was continuing into what caused the collision and what happened in the moments before it.
Authorities said about 40 of the roughly 70 passengers and crew members on the regional jet from Montreal, along with two people from the fire truck, were taken to hospitals. Authorities said most were released by Monday morning. The crash happened during a period of disruption at U.S. airports that included a partial government shutdown, officials said.
Federal officials told reporters later that they found evidence suggesting a runway warning system failed to sound an alarm moments before the collision, and they said they were looking into the role of air traffic controllers. They also said they were examining what controllers were doing while juggling a late-night emergency involving another plane.
Family members and institutions also provided details about the pilots. Jeannette Gagnier, described as the great aunt of one of the pilots, identified him as Antoine Forrest and told The Associated Press that Forrest “always wanted to be a pilot.” Gagnier said Forrest looked to her “as a grandmother figure,” according to her account provided to AP.
Forrest’s social media presence was also described in the reporting. His Facebook page reportedly said he was from Coteau-du-Lac, a small city in southwestern Québec, and the mayor of Coteau-du-Lac, Andrée Brosseau, offered condolences to Forrest’s family in a translated post on Tuesday. Brosseau wrote that “Antoine was one of our own,” and said his passing “represents an immense loss for our entire community.”
Forrest’s family members posted additional tributes after the crash. His brother, Cédric Forest, shared a picture of Forrest and him as children and wrote on Facebook, “Have a safe flight, my brother! Oh yes, we’ve often heard that phrase, but this time will be the last,” adding that he would “leave with your head held high.” A woman who said she is Forrest’s girlfriend and who also described herself as a young pilot posted a photo of the couple on her Facebook account with the caption “the love of my life,” the reporting said.
On the other side of the crash, Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto said in a statement that Mackenzie Gunther graduated in 2023 from its Honors Bachelor of Aviation Technology program. Seneca said Gunther then joined the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program, a training program operated by Air Canada, immediately after graduating. The flight that crashed was a Jazz Aviation plane operating on behalf of Air Canada, according to the reporting.
Seneca said it sent condolences to Gunther’s family, friends, and former colleagues and professors, and said he “will be deeply missed.” The school also said it lowered its flags to half-staff to honor Gunther.
The reporting also included accounts from passengers who described the pilots’ actions during the final moments. One passenger, Clément Lelièvre, said Gunther and Forrest’s “incredible reflexes” helped save his life and the lives of others, according to the Associated Press account. The passenger said the pilots braked extremely hard just as the plane touched down.