LaGuardia Airport: Pilots of plane crash identified as investigators examine black box

Authorities have identified the two Air Canada pilots who died Sunday night in the ground crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York. They were Antoine Forest, 30, and Mackenzie Gunther, 22, who were operating a regional aircraft CRJ-900 from Air Canada Express, operated by partner airline Jazz Aviation.

The flight, from Montreal, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members when the aircraft struck a fire truck in the middle of the runway during landing, officials said.

The paths that led Forest and Gunther to the cockpit

Forest, originally from the small town of Coteau-du-Lac, in southwestern Quebec had dreamed since of becoming a pilot since he was a child, his great-aunt Jeannette Gagnier told The Associated Press (AP). The youngster learned to fly at 16 and had been with Jazz Aviation since late 2022.

Gunther, meanwhile, had only recently started his professional career. A 2023 graduate of Seneca Polytechnic's Aviation Technology program, he was hired by Jazz Aviation after completing his studies. The educational institution issued an obituary in which it highlighted his career and conveyed its sorrow for the loss.

"Seneca sends our deepest condolences to Mr. Gunther’s family and friends, and to his former colleagues and professors," the obituary states. "He will be deeply missed."

"They saved our lives"

While the official investigation is moving forward, several passengers have claimed that the pilots' maneuvers before impact prevented an even greater tragedy, Fox News reported.

Jack Cabot, one of the occupants, claimed the commander "did the best thing he could do" in a borderline situation. "He hit the brakes as hard as he could, and he knew it was going to be at the cost of his own life," he recounted.

Another passenger, Clément Lelièvre, described "extremely hard" braking just as they touched down, and attributed the occupants' survival to the pilots' "incredible reflexes."

Reactions and mourning in the aviation community

The union representing pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), called the loss a "profound tragedy."

Its president, Captain Jason Ambrosi, noted that "these pilots dedicated their careers to the safe transport of passengers" and sent a message of support to their families and colleagues.

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau said he was "deeply saddened by the loss," and cautioned that many details remain to be clarified as the investigation continues.

The black boxes from the crash are intact

Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) from the Air Canada plane, and preliminary analysis is underway, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairwoman Jennifer Homendy confirmed Monday.

Homendy reported that the voice recorder was "not damaged" and was immediately transferred to Washington, D.C. for analysis. To access the devices, teams from the NTSB, the Port Authority and emergency services had to cut a hole in the roof of the aircraft, she said.

"They’ve been able to at least verify that the cockpit voice recorder was not damaged," said Homendy, who added that work on the data recorder will begin Tuesday. "My hope is that we’ll have information to share on that tomorrow."