Air Canada pilot Antoine Forest’s family pay tribute after fatal crash | US | News
Antoine Forest’s Facebook page paints a picture of the happiest man outdoors (Image: Facebook)
The name of one of the two pilots who died in a plane crash at a major airport in the USA has been announced.
Antoine Forest tragically died when his Air Canada jet carrying 72 passengers and four crew collided with a fire extinguisher while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday. Mr. Forest was chosen by Canadian channel TVA Nouvelles, which reported that he was originally from Coteau-du-Lac, a small city in southwestern Quebec. The identity of the second pilot has not yet been disclosed.
Mr. Forest’s family spoke to the Toronto Star to confirm that the resident of Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, 40 kilometers from Montreal, had been flying since he was 16. “He was always attending classes and flying,” said the pilot’s great-aunt Jeannette Gagnier, remembering how her great-niece trained to pilot bush planes. “He never stopped.”
Forest spent his formative years splitting his summers between Quebec and Hawkesbury, Ontario, where he spent fishing and watching television with Gagnier. In eleventh grade, she moved in with him full-time to improve her English; he felt this was a necessary step towards his dream of becoming a pilot.
Professional records and his LinkedIn profile show that he began his flying career with Air Saguenay in smaller bush planes, including the de Havilland Canada Beaver and Otter. He later moved to twin-engine aircraft with ExactAir and joined Jazz Aviation as first officer in December 2022.
His Facebook page paints a picture of the happiest man outdoors, hiking across snow-capped peaks and spending time on the water. Gagnier, who learned of the accident from her son on Monday, remembered him as a “handsome young man” who still hugged her before going to bed during childhood summer visits.
Read more: Flight attendant thrown from 300 feet in Air Canada LaGuardia crash
Read more: The moment a desperate air traffic controller begged ‘stop’ before fatal plane crash
Audio recordings released by LiveATC revealed an air traffic controller saying 20 minutes after the crash at New York’s third-busiest airport: “This was not good to watch at all.”
Another replied: “Yes, I know I’m here. I tried to reach out. We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed it up.”
The fire truck was traveling on the runway after the air traffic controller gave permission to respond to a United Airlines plane reporting an unusual odor on board. Before the crash, an air traffic controller was heard urgently ordering the fire department: “Stop, Truck 1. Stop.”
The controller can then be heard trying to prevent the Bombardier CRJ from landing. Approximately 40 passengers and crew, some seriously injured, were transported to hospitals. Most were discharged Monday morning, according to officials.
Solange Tremblay of Quebec was one of the flight attendants working when the CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation crashed and was among nine people hospitalized following the crash.
His daughter explained that he was thrown more than 300 meters from the plane and was found still strapped into his seat.
His daughter told TVA News in Quebec that Tremblay’s survival was “an absolute miracle.” His injuries included multiple bone fractures, but his condition was not reported to be critical.
Air Canada Express CRJ-900 remains on the runway after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Solange Tremblay from Quebec was one of the flight attendants who worked on the CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation. (Image: Solange Tremblay)
Photos show the impact crushed the plane’s nose, leaving cables and debris hanging from the cockpit. Kathryn Garcia, general manager of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said two Port Authority employees in the fire truck suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul shared on
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash.
