Fatality: Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther dies in fatal LaGuardia Airport plane collision

Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther dies in fatal LaGuardia Airport plane collision
Fatal LaGuardia Airport plane collision death of Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther – Obituary

Authorities have confirmed that Antoine Forest, 30, and Mackenzie Gunther, both pilots on an Air Canada Express flight, were killed in a collision with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday. The two were the only fatalities in the incident, which left more than 40 passengers treated at area hospitals.

Gunther, the first officer, had recently graduated from Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto in 2023 and was beginning his professional flying career. Forest, 30, had been employed by Jazz Aviation since December 2022 and had a lifelong passion for aviation, having flown bush planes at age 16 for Air Saguenay in Quebec.

The crash occurred after a United Airlines aircraft aborted takeoff and required a fire truck on the runway. Both the pilots and the fire truck were cleared for runway access, and investigators are reviewing tower communications and other data to determine what led to the collision. Passengers described a grinding sound as the plane attempted to slow before striking the truck, resulting in severe damage to the aircraft’s front and the ejection of a flight attendant.

Friends, family, and former colleagues remembered Forest as a skilled, cheerful, and reassuring pilot, while Gunther’s school lowered its flags to honor his memory. The tragedy highlights the sudden loss of two young aviators at the start of promising careers, leaving loved ones and the aviation community mourning.