Two pilots identified after Air Canada Express collision with fire truck at New York airport

Authorities have identified the two pilots who died after an Air Canada Express aircraft collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night.

According to aviation officials, one of the pilots, Antoine Forest, was from Quebec. The co-pilot, Mackenzie Gunther, was a 2023 graduate of Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto and had recently begun his professional flying career with Jazz Aviation, which was operating the flight.

The flight, arriving from Montreal at approximately 11:30 p.m., was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members at the time of the collision. More than 40 people were injured and taken to hospital, officials said. Two occupants of the fire truck were also hospitalized and are expected to be released.

U.S. aviation authorities are investigating how a coordination failure occurred between the aircraft and the fire vehicle on the runway. The cause of the crash has not been confirmed.