They came from different parts of Canada, followed different paths into aviation, and met in the cockpit on what should have been just another routine flight. By the end of that night, what passengers would later say about them carried more weight than any formal tribute.

The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 that collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday had two pilots onboard. Both lost their lives when the aircraft struck a Port Authority vehicle on the runway. They were the only fatalities in a crash that sent dozens to the hospital and left an entire airport in shock.

In the days that followed, more became known about who they were — not just their roles, but their journeys.

The captain, Antoine Forest, came from Coteau-du-Lac, a small town in Quebec. His path into aviation wasn’t immediate or easy. He started by flying bush planes and training as an aircraft maintenance engineer, working his way through different roles before eventually becoming a captain. Over time, he built experience step by step, moving through companies and positions until he reached the cockpit of a commercial jet.
In the end, the details will continue to be examined — by investigators, by officials, by experts. But for those who were there, and for those now learning about the two men in the cockpit, the story carries something more immediate.

Two pilots who took different paths to get there.

A moment where everything changed.

And a belief, shared by those who walked away, that in those final seconds, someone was still trying to protect them.