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A Name Behind the Tragedy… A Life Remembered

Mystery

The second Air Canada pilot killed in Sunday night’s plane crash at LaGuardia Airport has been identified as Mackenzie Gunther, according to reports.

Gunther was the first officer alongside pilot Antoine Forest on Air Canada Express Flight 8646 when it collided with a Port Authority fire truck just after landing around 11:40 p.m., Radio-Canada reported.

The two pilots died after the Air Canada jet was given the go-ahead to land on Runway 4 — at the same time that Port Authority cops were cleared to drive their fire truck across the same runway while responding to a separate emergency.

NTSB personnel inspect the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet that collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
The jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4 after both were cleared simultaneously
Antoine Forest smiling in a pilot's headset while holding a plane's controls.
Antoine Forest has been identified as one of the pilots killed in the crash

Gunther graduated from the Honours Bachelor of Aviation Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic in Canada in 2023, the school announced in a statement.

The ambitious grad began working as a professional pilot “immediately” after completing the program, which is based at the school’s Peterborough, Ontario, campus.

“Through the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program, he joined Jazz Aviation immediately after graduation and began his professional flying career,” Seneca Polytechnic wrote.

“Seneca sends our deepest condolences to Mr. Gunther’s family and friends, and to his former colleagues and professors. He will be deeply missed.”

Harrowing video captured the jet barrelling into the truck, leaving it completely mangled and toppled onto its side, and obliterating the front of the aircraft.

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, speaking at a news conference.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, speaks during a news conference on March 23, 2026

An audio recording caught an air traffic controller frantically yelling “Stop, stop, stop, stop!” before the deadly impact.

Runway 4, where the tragic collision unfolded, is expected to remain closed for days as officials work to clear the “tremendous” amount of debris, officials said on Monday.

Roughly 40 of the 70 passengers and surviving crew members were taken to the hospital, with many suffering only minor injuries. Most victims were released by Monday morning.

Two Port Authority officers on the rescue truck, as well as flight attendant Solange Tremblay, who was violently thrown out of the aircraft while still strapped in her seat, miraculously survived.

The pilots worked for Jazz Aviation LP, which was operating as Air Canada Express, according to the company.

The Air Line Pilots Association remembered Gunther and Forest as two pilots dedicated to passenger safety.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 23: An a Port Authority fire truck sits on the runway after colliding with an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, 2026 in New York City. All flights into and out of LaGuardia airport have ben cancelled until 2 P.M. after an Air Canada Express plane flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck on the tarmac killing the pilot and leaving more than forty people injured. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Port Authority officers inside the fire truck hit by the Air Canada Express jet Sunday night both survived
An Air Canada plane crashed into a LaGuardia airport fire truck in the early morning hours of March 23, 2026 on the tarmac along Terminal B.
Gunther graduated from the Honours Bachelor of Aviation Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic in Canada in 2023, the school announced in a statement

“The loss of our two fellow crewmembers onboard Flight 8646 is a profound tragedy,” union President Jason Ambrosi said in a statement.

“Today is an incredibly difficult day for our airline, our employees, and most importantly, the families and loved ones of those affected by the accident involving flight 8646,” said Jazz Aviation President Doug Clarke.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our two pilots and our unwavering support to those who have been injured.”

Flags at Seneca Polytechnic’s campuses will be lowered to half-mast on Tuesday in honor of Gunther.

Counseling services will be available at the school’s Peterborough campus for those coping with the “tragic news,” the college announced.

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