Air Canada Crash at LaGuardia: Pilots Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther Confirmed Dead
ANTOINE FOREST, MACKENZIE GUNTHER, in the aftermath of the fatal runway collision at LaGuardia Airport, authorities and aviation officials have identified the flight crew members who lost their lives, while additional details continue to emerge underscoring both the scale of the tragedy and the extraordinary circumstances surrounding one survivor.
Among those killed was Antoine Forest, a 30-year-old pilot from Coteau-du-Lac, Québec, who was serving aboard the Bombardier CRJ-900 operating as Air Canada Flight AC8646 at the time of the collision. Forest had been employed by Jazz Aviation since December 2022, following his aviation training at Cégep de Chicoutimi, and previously built flight experience with regional operators including Air Saguenay and Exact Air.
Also killed in the crash was the aircraft’s first officer, Mackenzie Gunther, an emerging aviation professional whose career had recently begun to take shape. Gunther was a graduate of the Honours Bachelor of Aviation Technology program at Seneca College, completing his studies in 2023, and transitioned into a professional flying role through the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program, where he served as a first officer on Air Canada Express operations.
In a statement, Seneca College expressed condolences to Gunther’s family, friends, colleagues, and instructors, noting the loss felt across its academic and aviation communities, while also announcing that flags would be lowered to half-mast and support services made available to those affected.
Amid the devastation, one crew member’s survival drew significant attention. Solange Tremblay, a veteran flight attendant, was discovered alive by rescue personnel under extraordinary circumstances after being ejected from the aircraft during the impact when structural failure occurred in the forward fuselage, with her jumpseat reportedly breaking through the aircraft while she remained restrained.
Despite the severity of the crash, Tremblay survived with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. According to her daughter, Sarah Lépine, she sustained a fractured leg requiring surgery but avoided more critical injuries, with her survival widely described as remarkable given the scale of the incident.
The collision occurred shortly before midnight when an air traffic controller cleared a fire truck to cross an active runway in response to another aircraft reporting an onboard issue. Moments later, the controller identified the developing conflict and issued urgent commands for the vehicle to stop, as captured in audio recordings, but the warning came too late to prevent the collision.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators shows the CRJ-900 traveling at significant speed at the moment of impact, with the crash shearing off the aircraft’s nose section and causing catastrophic damage to the forward structure, while aviation experts noted that the outcome could have been even more severe had fuel systems been compromised.
Emergency responders arrived quickly and began evacuation and treatment operations, with the aircraft carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, and 41 individuals requiring hospitalization, though many have since been treated and released, while injuries were also reported among those inside the fire truck.
While the incident has raised concerns about aviation system challenges, including air traffic control workload, staffing levels, and runway safety, officials clarified that unrelated factors such as Transportation Security Administration screening delays did not contribute to the crash.
Federal investigators continue examining communication protocols, emergency response coordination, and runway safety procedures to determine the exact sequence of events, with the investigation ongoing as authorities work toward recommendations aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.
