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Quebec pilot killed in crash at N.Y. airport remembered at visitation

   CBC News | Posted: April 17, 2026 8:00 AM | Last Updated: Just
   now

   Antoine Forest is being honoured in his hometown of
   Coteau-du-Lac, Que.

   Image | bc430382-82fd-46a0-8f9b-b0ab9bf586e5

   Caption: Antoine Forest was from Coteau-du-Lac, Que., southwest
   of Montreal. (Antoine Forest/Facebook)
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   Captain Antoine Forest, who died in a plane crash at New York's
   LaGuardia airport last month, is being remembered today in his
   hometown of Coteau-du-Lac, Que.
   Air ⁠Canada Express Flight 8646, a CRJ-900 ⁠operated by Jazz
   Aviation, was carrying ‌72 passengers and four crew members
   from Montreal to New York when it struck a fire truck on the
   runway on March 22.
   The crash killed both pilots on board, hurled a flight
   attendant from the aircraft and sent more than 40 people to
   hospital. First Officer MacKenzie Gunther was also killed.
   Services for Gunther have not yet been announced.
   The bodies of the two Air Canada pilots were returned to Canada
   soon after the crash.
   Forest was 30 years old. His LinkedIn page lists him as an
   employee of Jazz Aviation since December 2022. And his Facebook
   profile includes photos of him, smiling brightly, on outdoor
   adventures such as hiking, kayaking, sailing and climbing.
   Forest's death sparked an outpouring of sympathy, with a steady
   stream of mourners filing in and out of the J.A. Larin & fils
   inc. funeral home Friday afternoon.
   The Jazz Master Executive Council invited all crew members to
   stand in solidarity with Forest’s family Friday as they receive
   condolences. Hundreds of pilots and crew answered the call,
   wearing their professional uniforms as a show of respect as
   they bid farewell to one of their own.
     * 'Too soon for us to say goodbye,' says brother of Quebec
       pilot killed in crash at N.Y. airport

     * Bodies of pilots who died in collision at LaGuardia Airport
       repatriated to Canada

   The council is with the Air Line Pilots Association, and
   represents a total of 1,400 Jazz pilots.
   The visitation began at 1 p.m., with a first session ending at
   4:30 p.m. and a second session being held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
   The funeral home is expecting upward of 2,000 people throughout
   the day, with police directing traffic in the area to ensure
   easy access.
   In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be
   made to the CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital Foundation.

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