The daughter of a flight attendant who was ejected from Air Canada Flight 8646 during Sunday's crash has shared an update on her condition.
On Sunday (22 March) night, an Air Canada Express Jet - operated by Jazz Aviation - travelling from Montreal to New York collided with a fire truck shortly after landing at LaGuardia airport, killing both pilots and injuring dozens of others.
The plane is believed to have been travelling between 24 and 30 mph when it collided with the vehicle.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia later confirmed to reporters that 41 of the 74 surviving passengers and crew were taken to hospital in the aftermath of the crash, with nine remaining hospitalised last night.
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Meanwhile, two Port Authority employees travelling in the fire engine suffered injuries from the crash, which are not believed to be life-threatening.
Those injured included a flight attendant who was flung from the aircraft during the collision.
According to CNN, the woman was found strapped into one of the plane's jump seats, which had been ejected towards the front of the aircraft and fallen through a hole.
The woman has since been identified as Solange Tremblay, with her daughter confirming that she survived the crash without any serious injuries.
The Guardian reports that Tremblay began working for Jazz Aviation as a flight attendant 26 years ago, according to her social media profile.
Speaking to Quebec broadcaster TVA Nouvelles, Tremblay’s daughter, Sarah Lépine, explained that her mother had suffered multiple fractures, including a broken leg, but no other serious injuries.
She will now undergo surgery for her broken leg.
"It's a complete miracle," Lépine told the outlet. "She had a guardian angel watching over her. It could have been much worse."
Lépine added that her mother had been seated behind the cockpit when the plane landed.
Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety expert, suggests that Tremblay was possibly helped by being in a seat with a four-point restraint, telling The Independent: "The flight attendant’s seat is kind of a jump seat that folds down and is bolted to the wall, the same wall that the cockpit utilises.
"It’s a very robust seat. It’s designed to withstand probably more crash loads than passenger seats because you need the flight attendant to help passengers get out of an airplane after a crash.”
An investigation into the crash is underway, with initial reports suggesting the emergency vehicle (truck 1) was crossing the runway to assist a United Airlines flight bound for Chicago after it failed to take off, due to reports of a foul odour in the cabin (per CBS).
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he has been in contact with President Donald Trump and the Canadian authorities, adding that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is also partaking in the investigation.
Audio from LaGuardia's air traffic control tower, heard moments before the collision, revealed that the emergency vehicle was cleared to cross runway 4 in order to assist the United Airlines aircraft before being told to 'stop'.
"Stop Truck 1, stop, stop, stop!" the controller can be heard telling the truck, before they had to switch attention to another plane that had been coming in to land and ordered it to 'go around runway'.
Switching back to the Air Canada jet, the controller can then be heard saying: "Jazz 646, I see you collided with vehicle here, just hold position.
"I know you can't move. The vehicles are responding to you now."
LaGuardia Airport was temporarily closed following the incident; however, it has since resumed operations, though the Transportation Safety Board says the main runway, where the crash occurred, will remain closed.
The pilots killed in the Air Canada crash
Both pilots who were tragically killed in the plane crash in New York on Sunday (22 March) have now been named.
Passengers praised their selfless actions, with French traveller Clément Lelièvre telling CBC: “Just as the plane touched down, the pilot braked extremely hard.
“I think he kind of saved our lives because he must have had incredible reflexes.”
Antoine Forest
Forest, 30, from Quebec, had worked for Jazz Aviation since December 2022.
His great-aunt Jeannette Gagnier told the Toronto Star: “He flew his first plane when he was 16 years old. He was always taking courses and flying. He never stopped.
“It’s a very bad day for me.”
Mackenzie Gunther
Gunther was identified in a statement released by his former college Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, Ontario.
They said he joined Jazz Aviation immediately after graduating and was the first officer on the doomed flight from Montreal to New York.
The statement added: “Seneca sends our deepest condolences to Mr Gunther’s family and friends, and to his former colleagues and professors. He will be deeply missed.”
FAA administrator Bryan Bedford described the pilots as ‘two young men at the start of their careers’, saying it was an ‘absolute tragedy’ their lives were cut short.
Topics: US News
Brenna Cooper