Mackenzie Gunther joined Jazz Aviation “immediately after graduation and began his professional flying career,” according to Seneca Polytechnic

An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 sits on the runway after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York, on March 23, 2026. A plane carrying dozens of people collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot and causing "serious injuries" to others, authorities said Monday. Due to the crash late Sunday, US aviation authorities halted all flights at LaGuardia, and the port authority said the airport would stay shut until at least 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) "to allow for a thorough investigation."

The second pilot who was killed in the LaGuardia crash has been identified.Credit : TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty

 

The second pilot killed in the LaGuardia Airport crash has been identified.

Mackenzie Gunther was one of the pilots who died, according to a statement released by his alma mater, Seneca Polytechnic. He graduated from the school’s Honors Bachelor of Aviation Technology (FPR) program in 2023.

Gunther participated in the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program and joined Jazz Aviation “immediately after graduation and began his professional flying career,” according to the school. “He was the First Officer on the flight, operating as Air Canada Express, from Montreal to New York.”

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

The first pilot was identified on Monday, March 23, as Antoine Forest, his family told the Toronto Star. While his LinkedIn profile showed he was employed as a first officer with Jazz Aviation, sources told Radio Canada he was the captain on the flight.

Jazz Aviation said in a previous statement that they were “deeply saddened by the loss of two employees and are working to support family members and employees at this difficult time.”

Emergency responders work as an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 sits on the runway after colliding with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York, on March 23, 2026. A plane carrying dozens of people collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot and causing "serious injuries" to others, authorities said Monday. Due to the crash late Sunday, US aviation authorities halted all flights at LaGuardia, and the port authority said the airport would stay shut until at least 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) "to allow for a thorough investigation."

Emergency responders at LaGuardia Airport in New York, on March 23, 2026.TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty

FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference on Monday that the pilots were both “two young men at the start of their careers” and that the crash was an “absolute tragedy.”

On Sunday, March 22, as the passenger jet with 72 passengers and four crew members on board was landing, the aircraft collided with a firetruck that was crossing the runway.

The truck was apparently responding to a United Airlines flight after crew members reported an odor in the cabin and requested assistance, according to CBS News and ABC affiliate WABC-TV.

Air traffic control audio showed the firetruck was initially given the go-ahead to cross but then urgently warned to stop. It’s unclear what the firetruck crew did in the moments leading up to the collision.

More than 40 people were injured and transported to the hospital, including the two people inside the truck, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

One of the survivors was flight attendant Solange Tremblay, who was ejected from the aircraft and found strapped into her seat. Her daughter, Sarah Lépine, told Quebec’s TVA News that her mother was strapped into her seat behind the pilots at the time of the crash.

She suffered multiple bone fractures and has been hospitalized for a broken leg after being ejected at a height of more than 320 feet from the plane. She was expected to undergo surgery at the hospital.

“It’s a complete miracle. At the moment of impact, her seat was ejected more than 100 meters from the plane. They found her and she was still strapped into her seat,” Lépine told TVA News. “She had a guardian angel watching over her. It could have been much worse.”

An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.