Pilot killed in Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport is named, with flight attendant

One of the pilots killed in the Air Canada collision at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday has been identified as Antoine Forest.

Forest, 30, is from Coteau-du-Lac in Quebec, broadcaster TVA Nouvelles reported.

According to his social media, he had worked as a CRJ First Officer with Jazz Aviation since December 2022.

He studied aviation at Cegep de Chicoutim and previously worked as a pilot with Air Saguenay and Exact Air.

Forest was one of the two pilots killed in the crash, and at least 41 other people were hospitalized.

A firetruck was crossing the tarmac just before midnight after being given permission to check another plane reporting an odor on board when the regional jet landed on the runway.

The impact crushed the plane’s nose, leaving cables and debris dangling from the mangled cockpit.

The flight attendant who was strapped into a jump seat and violently thrown dozens of feet outside an Air Canada aircraft when it collided with a truck has been identified as Solange Tremblay.

Tremblay’s daughter, Sarah Lépine, told Quebec broadcaster TVA Nouvelles that her mother suffered a broken leg requiring surgery, but did not sustain any other serious injuries.

‘I’m still trying to understand how all this happened, but she truly must have had a guardian angel watching over her,’ she said.

Mamdani commended passengers aboard the Air Canada crash who were ‘thrust into a frightening accident’ and ‘reacted not only with composure, but by extending a hand to the person next to them.’

‘Passengers who opened the door and helped one another off the plane, people who kept one another calm. And I know that this crash has shaken New Yorkers across the five boroughs, whether they are traveling today or simply watching from home, especially since it’s the first fatal crash at LaGuardia in more than 30 years.’

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made his case for asking Congress for additional funding to revamp air traffic control during the LaGuardia crash press conference.

‘You know, I’ve been asking Congress for additional money. Many of you have reported that we need more money for air traffic control. We are modernizing our system, but we can’t fully modernize it until Congress gives us additional money,’ he said.

‘It’s not a partisan issue. Both Democrats and Republicans agree, but they have to have the will to finish the funding.

‘I’m not saying that this crash would have been prevented if we had all the equipment deployed, but it’s important if we care about air travel safety, we care about having a brand new air traffic control system, the best in the world, with the best equipment, virtually all of it developed here in America.’

The partial government shutdown, which began on February 14, has caused mass chaos at airports across the country as hundreds of airline workers have quit and many others go unpaid since the Transportation Department’s funding has lapsed.

‘As we come through here, know that this is an ecosystem which is not self-sustaining,’ Hochul said on Monday.

‘There are countless individuals who step up every day willing to do the hard work to make sure we’re safe. And in my judgment, they all deserve gratitude, not just on this day, but as I often do walk into airports, just saying thank you with a heart full of gratitude for what they do to make our lives safer and better.’

Several TSA checkpoints remain unmanned, creating lines as long as four hours at some airports in the nation.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called reports that only one air traffic controller was working when the Air Canada plane crashed into the fire truck at LaGuardia ‘inaccurate.’

He went on to say that LaGuardia is one of the well-staffed airports in the country.

‘I’m not going to talk about specifics, but this airport has a target of 37 controllers at LaGuardia. We have 33 controllers employed and certified at LaGuardia, and we have six that are seven, actually, that are in training,’ he said.

‘So as our airports go, LaGuardia is a very well-staffed airport. We are a couple of controllers short in total, but it is a well-staffed airport.’

Garcia said that two officers were taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where one was expected to be released later this afternoon and one will be kept overnight for observation.

She said that the FDNY and NYPD immediately responded to the crash scene and transferred over 40 people to the hospital during the evening, although many have already been released.

US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said the Air Canada crash site at LaGuardia was a ‘reminder’ to those traveling by air or car to ‘wear a seatbelt.’

‘What is at the crash site, it was just a reminder that when you’re traveling by air, you should wear your seatbelt,’ he said.

‘If you see the videos of the air crash, wear your seatbelt when you’re on the airplane. Also in a car, wear a seatbelt. As you see from last night, they do save lives,’ he continued.

Officials revealed Sunday night’s collision was the first deadly incident at LaGuardia Airport in over three decades.

‘I know that this crash has shaken New Yorkers across the five boroughs, whether they are traveling today or simply watching from home, especially since it’s the first fatal crash at LaGuardia in more than 30 years,’ Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

Port Authority Executive Kathryn Garcia added, ‘It has been 34 years since we had an incident with a death at the airport.’

FAA administrator Bryan Bedford expressed his condolences to the loved ones of the two pilots killed in the crash.

‘I want to extend my sympathies for the families of the two pilots,’ he said.

‘These were two young men at the start of their career, so it’s an absolute tragedy that we’re sitting here with their loss.’

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said US and Canadian officials are working together ‘very closely’ on the investigation into the LaGuardia Airport crash.

‘Moments ago, I had a chance to speak to President Trump after he finished his press conference in Memphis. I also spoke with the transport minister of Canada, Stephen Mackinnon, and again, our two teams work very closely together,’ Duffy said.

‘There was a CJR900 from Montreal here to LaGuardia operated by Air Canada Express and by Jazz. It collided with a Port Authority firetruck at approximately 11.45pm last night.

‘There were 72 passengers on the plane and four crew. Approximately 40 people were sent to the hospital after the crash. Several have also been released. As has been reported, the two pilots of the aircraft passed away in the crash last night.’

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul joined Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA officials for a press conference at LaGuardia Airport on Monday.