Since the collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday, federal investigators have been focused on how two aircraft safety systems and operating procedures performed in the moments before impact. The Associated Press reported that federal officials said a runway warning system failed to sound an alarm moments before the plane and fire truck collided.
On Monday, FAA Administrator Brian Bedford told reporters the outcome was devastating. “These were two young men at the start of their careers,” Bedford said, adding, “It’s an absolute tragedy that we’re sitting here with their loss.” The FAA administrator’s remarks came as officials continued to examine the crash’s cause and the actions of air traffic controllers, including what they were doing during a late-night emergency involving another plane, the report said.
The pilots who died have now been identified as Canadian men, though federal officials had not yet publicly named them as of the Associated Press report. Jeannette Gagnier, a great aunt of one of the pilots, identified him as Antoine Forrest, and a Canadian college separately confirmed the identity of the other pilot, Mackenzie Gunther, according to the report.
Air Canada’s regional jet involved in the crash was operating on behalf of the airline through Jazz Aviation, the Associated Press said. About 70 passengers and crew members were on the regional jet from Montreal, and about 40 were taken to hospitals along with two people from the fire truck, the report said. Most of those hospitalized were released by Monday morning, authorities said.
Forrest’s family described him as an aspiring pilot. Gagnier told AP that Forrest “always wanted to be a pilot,” and the Associated Press said his LinkedIn page showed he had worked for two airlines in the preceding five years. His Facebook page, as described by AP, said he was from Coteau-du-Lac, a small city in southwestern Québec, and the mayor of Coteau-du-Lac, Andrée Brosseau, offered condolences in a translated post, according to the report.
Forrest was also described by family members as he built his career. His brother, Cédric Forest, shared a childhood photo of the two on Facebook and wrote a condolence message, while a woman who said she is Forrest’s girlfriend posted a photo of the couple with a caption calling him “the love of my life,” the Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press also described Gunther’s aviation background. Seneca Polytechnic, a Toronto college, said in a statement that Gunther graduated in 2023 from its Honors Bachelor of Aviation Technology program, and that he joined the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program, a training program run by Air Canada, right after graduating. Seneca said it “lowered its flags to half-staff” to honor Gunther on Tuesday, AP reported.
The Associated Press reported that at least one passenger, Clément Lelièvre, credited the pilots’ actions with saving lives. Lelièvre told AP that Gunther and Forrest used “incredible reflexes,” and said the pilots braked extremely hard as the plane touched down.
The investigation is continuing into what happened on the runway and why the warning system did not alarm. Federal officials said they were also looking into the role of air traffic controllers and the circumstances surrounding another late-night emergency, the Associated Press reported, noting that the crash occurred during a period of disruption at U.S. airports tied to a partial government shutdown.