Pilot killed in Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport is named, with flight attendant who was hurled 330 feet onto runway and survived also identified: Live updates

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.

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.

Airports across the country are reporting unprecedented wait lines for security amid a severe shortage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers due to a partial government shutdown.

Record numbers of TSA workers have resigned or called out of work at major airports as the shutdown halted their pay, leading to massive security lines.

Footage from John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport in New York on Monday showed passengers were lined up all the way out into the parking lot, causing many to miss their flights despite arriving hours early.

At the nation’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, officials told passengers in a statement to arrive at least four hours early for their flights.

The National Transportation Safety Board shared an image of investigators at the scene of the deadly Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport.

‘NTSB investigators walk the scene of the Mar. 22 collision between an Air Canada Express plane and a firefighting vehicle on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport,’ the agency wrote on X.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where 67 people were killed in a horror mid-air collision last year, sent their condolences to those affected by the LaGuardia crash.

‘We are keeping everyone at LaGuardia Airport in our thoughts today and sending our deepest condolences to everyone affected. We know that this is a tough time. Your airport family stands with you,’ Reagan Airport wrote on X.

Delta flight 990 to Atlanta was the first plane to take off from LaGuardia after the airport reopened on Monday, the New York Times reported.

Photos taken by Reuters showed the aircraft in the sky shortly after the airport reopened at 2pm.

The airport confirmed it was operational on X.

‘LaGuardia Airport is now open, expect delays and/or cancellations. Plan ahead and check with your airline for the latest updates,’ the post said.

CNN safety analyst David Soucie said the positioning of the Air Canada plane when it struck the firetruck prevented a massive fire and more deaths.

‘This could have been much, much worse,’ said Soucie.

‘Because that aircraft hit directly in the middle of the fire truck, the fire truck was moved forward, and the aircraft was damaged in the nose.’

Had the truck been 40 feet back or forward, ‘it would have struck against the wing, the fuel cells, the engines and would have created a huge fire and many, many fatalities,’ Soucie added.