American passenger honors Canadian pilots after LaGuardia crash: ‘It’s important to say their names’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An American passenger said, “I think it’s important to say their names,” as she thanked the two Canadian pilots who died in the Air Canada plane accident at LaGuardia Airport on March 22.

As investigators from both Canada and the US work to understand why Air Canada Express flight 8646 hit a firetruck, survivors are hailing the flight crew as heroes.

American passenger thanks families of crew

Rachel Mariotti, a passenger from Brooklyn, is speaking out to honor the two Canadian pilots who died in the crash. 

Pilots Antoine Forest from Quebec and Mackenzie Gunther, a graduate of Seneca Polytechnic, lost their lives when the cockpit was destroyed after hitting a firetruck. 

Mariotti wants their families to know how much their sacrifice means to the survivors. 

“I learned about these two guys, Antoine Forrest, Mackenzie Gunther. I think it’s important to say their names, and I really want to say thank you to their families for raising such brave young men,” Mariotti said.

She noted that both men were young and loved their jobs. “I know that they were both from Canada, from what I recall, and they’re both young and passionate about flying and, yeah, it makes you think about how people go into professions and take a lot of risks to keep other people safe,” she added.

Rachel Mariotti shares experience on the tarmac

Mariotti described the moment she realized how bad the accident was after jumping onto the wing to get away from the plane. 

She saw that the front of the aircraft was completely gone. “We got down to the ground and saw that the cockpit was gone and you don’t know what to think. It’s just surreal,” Mariotti said. 

While she survived with a sore neck and an injury from her seatbelt, she saw many other passengers with bloody noses and head injuries on the bus ride to the terminal. At first, she did not understand what the plane had hit.

“I … later realized it was the firetruck that was hit. And then we were all questioning, how could that happen?” she recalled.

Passenger expresses respect for Canadians

While the US National Transportation Safety Board investigates the crash and looks through the flight data, Mariotti and others believe the pilots saved their lives. 

She mentioned that the plane braked suddenly, which likely kept the crash from being even worse. 

She feels lucky to be alive because of the crew's actions. “You know, two Canadian men helping a lot of us passengers to get back home. And we’re all able to go home because of them, I just want to say thank you to Canadians and that we’re your friend,” Mariotti said. 

She ended by sharing her deep respect for the people of Canada. “I’m very grateful for those guys, and I have a lot of respect for Canadians in general, just very kind people. So thank you,” she said.