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Hundreds of past and present 
Air Canada pilots, crew, and family members lined up the sidewalk outside Air Canada’s Montreal headquarters this evening to welcome home their fallen colleague, Antoine Forest. Captain Forest was one of the two pilots who tragically lost their lives last Sunday when Air Canada Flight AC8646 crashed into a firetruck on the runway of New York 
LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
Forest, alongside First Officer Mackenzie Gunther, was killed during the horrific crash after a firetruck was given clearance to cross the busy LaGuardia runway in error, and was en route to attend to another incident that had occurred with another airplane. The Air Canada Express (operated by Jazz Aviation), which had just arrived from Montreal, had no time to avoid the incident that led to two deaths and many injuries.
Captain Forest Returns To Montréal
Forest’s remains returned to Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) late Thursday evening, and as a tribute, many Air Canada staff, past and present, lined up to pay tribute to the young pilot, with many noting to Canada’s CTV News that the emotions were high, and it was ‘difficult to hold back tears’.
One pilot, Julian Compton, spoke with CTV, reiterating that the pilots would have just a split second to respond to the deadly incident that occurred at LaGuardia, and given that the runway was wet, the aircraft would have had few options to avoid the collision, as any movement to the left or right could have led to many more deaths. Compton was one of many who lined the sidewalk in Montreal to pay tribute, and noted:
“You know, in the aviation community, we are a brotherhood of professionals, and we are united by wings. I felt an obligation. I felt compelled to pull out my old uniform and join my aviation brothers and sisters.”
Captain Gunther Returns To Ottawa
Co-pilot Mackenzie Gunther and Captain Antoine Forest’s bodies were transported together on a special Air Canada Express flight to the Canadian capital of Ottawa, where Gunther’s remains were disembarked from the aircraft by other pilots and met with a standing tribute. Forest’s body was then flown from Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport(YOW) to Montreal. On arrival at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport(YUL), the flight was met with a water salute by the airport fire crew.
The destroyed Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft operated by Jazz Aviation, the carrier’s regional operator, and the fire truck were removed from the grounds of LaGuardia airport on late Wednesday evening, and will remain in storage as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Transportation Safety Board of Canada continue their investigation.
Captain Forest had been flying for Air Canada (Jazz Aviation) since December 2022 and had previously worked as a bush pilot. Forest was from the small Quebec town of Coteau-du-Lac. Co-pilot Mackenzie Gunther was aged just 24 and was reported to be from the Ontario city of Peterborough.
Air Canada Crash Survivors Still Without Belongings Until Crews Move Aircraft To Hangar
The survivors of AC8646 remain empty-handed.
The Latest Updates On Air Canada Flight 8646
Air Canada provided a second update with additional information on the fateful Air Canada flight, noting that the Air Canada Special Assistance Team remains in the Big Apple and continues to provide support to the crew and passengers who were affected by the flight on March 22.
Of the 39 crew or passengers who were injured, now just four remain in the hospital. The aircraft, which has been relocated to a secure hangar, will now permit the Air Canada team to commence processing the return of baggage and other personal belongings. It is expected that this could take some time.
AC8646 was a regularly scheduled flight from Montreal to LaGuardia on March 22, and a split-second mistake led to the death of two young pilots. This incident marked the first fatal accident at LGA in more than three decades, when USAir Flight 405 crashed on March 22, 1992, killing 27 of the 51 people on board.
