Air Canada pilots sacrificed themselves to save passengers, tried to soften impact before crash

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Two Air Canada Express pilots died heroes after they slammed on the brakes and did everything possible to soften the impact when their jet slammed into a Port Authority fire truck on LaGuardia Airport’s Runway 4. 

The tragic final seconds unfolded on Air Canada Express Flight AC8646, a Jazz Aviation CRJ-900 jet carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montréal to New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The collision happened around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, March 22, after the plane had just touched down.

The manoeuver saved dozens of passengers at the cost of the pilots' own lives. According to passengers and initial assessments, the pilots kept the aircraft straight and stable during landing despite the imminent collision with a fire truck on the runway, focusing on slowing it down rather than swerving. A sudden turn at high speed could have led to a rollover or more severe structural damage. The crew's decision to keep the aircraft straight to maximize deceleration was seen as a deliberate, heroic effort that potentially saved lives by reducing the impact.

Both pilots, Captain Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther, were killed instantly. About 40 passengers and crew members were injured, along with two firefighters; four people remained hospitalized days later.

"On behalf of everyone at Air Canada, I want to express my deep sympathies to everybody affected, and my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two Jazz pilots who tragically lost their lives," Air Canada’s President and CEO Michael Rousseau said.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, who has been overseeing the probe, said the agency recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder and cautioned that “we rarely, if ever, investigate a major accident where it was one failure. When something goes wrong, that means many, many things went wrong.”

Passengers hail ‘brave young men’ who saved their lives

Survivors praised the pilots, saying their lightning-fast reaction in the final seconds prevented a far worse tragedy.

Rebecca Liquori, who was seated at an emergency exit and helped evacuate others, told NBC News she felt the pilots braking hard right before impact.

“I’m just so appreciative that they were able to save us, but I’m just so sad that they weren’t able to make it home to their families,” Liquori said. “I wouldn’t be here had it not been for the pilot acting quickly.”

Another passenger who asked to be identified only as Joseph told the outlet, “I fully believe that these two pilots, who unfortunately lost their lives, did everything in their power to stop the plane and slow it down at the very last minute … They deserve all the credit for being heroes that day.”

Jack Cabot, another survivor, described the chaos to Fox News, “As we were arriving, we came down really hard. We stopped really quickly and about two seconds later we had an absolute slam. Everybody was flying everywhere, I mean, the plane started veering off left and right. And there was, it was just chaos."

"It didn’t feel like anyone was in control of anything," Cabot continued. "Looking back on it, the pilot did the best thing he could. He hit the brakes as hard as he could, and he knew it was going to be at the cost of his own life."

Aviation experts chime in

Aviation experts who have reviewed early details say the pilots’ quick braking and possible use of reverse thrust were textbook efforts to minimize the impact once the truck appeared on the runway.

David McNair, a professional pilot and former accident investigator with Canada’s Transportation Safety Board, told The Globe and Mail, “They really had no options and they unfortunately paid with their lives. Once that truck went on the runway, there’s no place they could go.”

Alan Diehl, a pilot and former FAA/NTSB crash investigator, said the pilots were likely focused on landing and had little chance to spot the truck in time. “It may have been that once the fire truck turned onto the runway, the collision was virtually inevitable,” he told the outlet, noting both vehicles’ heavy weight and the possibility of poor visibility.

“They were probably very focused on getting the aircraft on the ground and may have not have noticed the truck moving at all,” Diehl said of the pilots. “They wouldn’t be expecting it to cross.” 

The NTSB investigation is ongoing. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.