Air Canada Pilot Killed In Laguardia Fire Truck Crash Had Been Flying Since He Was 16, Family Say

Two pilots, including 30-year-old Antoine Forest, were killed and 41 group were injured precocious Sunday nighttime erstwhile an Air Canada Express formation collided pinch a Port Authority occurrence motortruck astatine New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The Bombardier CRJ-900, operated by Jazz Aviation, was arriving from Montreal pinch 76 passengers and unit erstwhile it struck nan emergency conveyance connected Runway 4 astatine astir 11:40 p.m. The motortruck had been cleared to transverse nan progressive runway while responding to a abstracted incident involving a United Airlines flight.

While national authorities person not yet released nan names of nan formation crew, family members person begun identifying nan victims. Both nan aviator and co-pilot were based successful Canada, according to Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia.

The National Transportation Safety Board and nan Transportation Safety Board of Canada are conducting a associated investigation into nan collision. The airdrome officially reopened astatine 2 p.m., though officials cautioned that only 1 of its 2 runways is presently operational.

The astir 14-hour closure forced nan cancellation of much than 500 flights Monday.

Antoine Forest

Forest’s family has confirmed that nan Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, autochthonal was 1 of nan 2 pilots who died successful Sunday’s crash. Relatives said pinch nan Toronto Star connected Monday to place Forest, who lived successful nan mini municipality located astir 25 miles southwest of Montreal.

Forest’s great-aunt, Jeannette Gagnier — whom he considered a grandma — told nan Star that he had been flying since he was 16 years old.

“He was ever taking courses and flying,” Gagnier said, recalling really he first learned to aviator bush planes arsenic a teenager. “He ne'er stopped.”

Forest spent his younker betwixt his location successful Quebec and Hawkesbury, Ontario, wherever he and his younger relative spent summers sportfishing and watching tv pinch Gagnier. During his 11th-grade year, he moved successful pinch Gagnier specifically to amended his English, a measurement he believed was captious for his early profession arsenic a pilot.

According to his master records and LinkedIn profile, Forest began his profession flying smaller bush planes, specified arsenic nan de Havilland Canada Beaver and Otter, for Air Saguenay. He later moved connected to aviator twin-engine craft for ExactAir earlier joining Jazz Aviation arsenic a first serviceman successful December 2022.

Photos connected Forest's Facebook page bespeak his emotion for nan outdoors, showing him hiking snow-capped mountains and spending clip connected nan water. Gagnier, who received nan news of nan clang from her boy connected Monday, remembered nan aviator arsenic a "handsome young man" who would still cuddle pinch her astatine bedtime during his summertime visits arsenic a child.

“It’s a very bad time for me,” she told nan Star.

While investigators are still analyzing formation data, survivors proceed to constituent to nan crew's actions arsenic a logic much lives weren't lost. Reports from nan compartment propose nan pilots attempted to deploy reverse thrust successful nan last seconds — a move that whitethorn person prevented nan pitchy from veering further disconnected people aft nan chemoreceptor was destroyed.

Solange Tremblay

In summation to nan 2 pilots who died, formation attendant Solange Tremblay survived what her family is calling a “miracle.”

Tremblay was strapped into her spot down nan pilots astatine nan infinitesimal of impact. The unit of nan collision pinch nan occurrence motortruck was truthful terrible that it ejected her from nan aircraft, throwing her much than 320 feet onto nan tarmac.

“It’s a complete miracle. At nan infinitesimal of impact, her spot was ejected much than 100 meters from nan plane. They recovered her and she was still strapped into her seat,” Sarah Lépine, Tremblay’s daughter, told Quebec’s TVA News. “She had a guardian angel watching complete her. It could person been overmuch worse.”

Tremblay will acquisition room astatine nan hospital, Lépine said.