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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.
People gathered in Coteau-du-Lac, Que., on Friday to remember Captain Antoine Forest. The 30-year-old was one of two Air Canada pilots killed in March when their aircraft collided with a fire truck on the runway of a New York airport.
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.
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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