BREAKING UPDATE: Pilots killed in LaGuardia crash identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther

Seneca Polytechnic, Gunther’s alma mater, released a statement on Gunther’s death. "Seneca mourns the loss of alumnus Mackenzie Gunther in the aviation accident at LaGuardia Airport in New York yesterday. Mr. Gunther graduated from the Honours Bachelor of Aviation Technology (FPR) program in 2023. Through the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program, he joined Jazz Aviation immediately after graduation and began his professional flying career. He was the First Officer on the flight, operating as Air Canada Express, from Montreal to New York. Seneca sends our deepest condolences to Mr. Gunther’s family and friends, and to his former colleagues and professors. He will be deeply missed."

Original story follows.

One of the pilots who was killed in the Air Canada plane crash at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening has been identified as Antoine Forest. The pilot as well as the co-pilot were killed in the crash where the plane collided with a fire truck crossing the runway.

Forest, 30, is originally from Coteau-du-Lac in Quebec, per the Daily Mail. There were 41 other people who were injured in the crash and several have been hospitalized with severe injuries. According to Forest's social media, he has been a CRJ First Officer with Jazz Aviation since 2022.

He previously worked as a pilot for Air Saguenay and Exact Air and went to Cegep de Chicoutim to study aviation. There was a firetruck crossing the tarmac during the moments when the plane was landing on the runway.

The airport said in a statement about the incident, "At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada was involved in an incident on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in which the aircraft struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident."

https://twitter.com/LGAairport/status/2035977257601183909?s=20

"Emergency response protocols were immediately activated. The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s Chairman and Executive Director. The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation," the statement added.

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/2036128439254786381?s=20

Video of the crash showed the nose of the plane completely destroyed and the truck strewn to the side of the runway in the aftermath of the crash. Multiple passengers said that the plane appeared to be landing like normal until the pilot tried to hit the brakes before the impact. Reports said that the plane hit the truck while going at 24 miles an hour.

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