03/23/2026
The aviation industry has lost one of its own.
Antoine Forest’s commitment, knowledge, and passion for flying reflect the very best of our community.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
Blue skies and tailwinds.
🕊️✈️
One of the two pilots killed in last night's collision at LaGuardia Airport has been identified as Antoine Forest, a 30-year-old pilot from Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, according to TVA Nouvelles.
Forest had been flying for Jazz Aviation since December 2022, operating Air Canada Express regional routes on the CRJ between Canada and the United States. Before joining Jazz, he built his flying career at Exact Air and Air Saguenay, where he flew bush planes including the DHC-3 Otter. He was also a former forest fire pilot and had been featured on CBC Radio-Canada's Daybreak Montreal to talk about that experience.
A former colleague described him as "a hard worker, very resourceful. Ready to fix and fly his plane. Always professional and a team player. A pleasure working with him."
Forest studied at HEC Montréal, Cégep de Chicoutimi, and the École nationale d'aérotechnique. He held both his pilot license and an aircraft maintenance engineer certification, a rare combination that showed how deeply he understood the machines he flew.
He was at the controls of Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a Bombardier CRJ-900, when it collided with a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport at 11:38 p.m. Sunday night. Both pilots were killed. The identity of the second pilot has not yet been released.
Antoine Forest was 30 years old. He dedicated his life to aviation.
Rest in peace.
