OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Ottawa is working in “full co-operation” with officials in the United States to probe the crash of an Air Canada jet at New York’s LaGuardia Airport that killed two pilots Sunday night.
Speaking to reporters on his way into the Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday, Carney said the “first job” of the federal government is “working with our American colleagues to determine how this tragedy happened and to take all necessary steps to prevent any repetition in the future.”
Carney offered his condolences to the families and friends of pilots Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther and said their “actions saved lives.”
The airplane was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Six people remained in hospital as of Tuesday.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday a fire truck had been cleared to cross a runway to attend to a different airplane, at the airport 20 seconds before it collided with the Air Canada jet.
Jennifer Homendy, head of the safety board, said a runway warning system didn’t work as intended because the fire truck did not have a transponder.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is also taking part in the U.S.-led investigation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026.
— with files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in New York
Craig Lord, The Canadian Press
