Archbishop Hicks calls for compassion and prayer after the fatal Air Canada crash at LaGuardia that killed two pilots and injured dozens.
Newsroom (25/03/2026 Gaudium Press) When tragedy shatters the ordinary rhythm of night, even the routine hum of an airport can turn into a scene of loss and disbelief. Such was the case late on March 22, when Air Canada Flight 8646 collided with a fire truck on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia airport—a crash that claimed two lives and left dozens injured.
The regional jet, a CRJ-900 operated by Air Canada partner Jazz Aviation, was arriving from Montréal just after 11:30 p.m. when the impact tore through its nose section. The fire truck, officials said, had been moving across the runway to respond to a different emergency involving a United aircraft that had reported a strange odor in its cabin.
Audio recordings released to investigators later confirmed that an air traffic controller had repeatedly urged the truck to stop moments before the collision. Despite those warnings, the crash occurred as the Air Canada jet descended at roughly 90 miles per hour, leaving twisted metal and fire-engine debris along the tarmac.
The pilots—Captain Antoine Forest, 30, and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther—were killed instantly. Flight attendant Solange Tremblay miraculously survived, though she was ejected from the fuselage while still strapped to her seat. Her daughter, Sarah Lépine, described her mother’s survival as “a miracle” in an interview with Quebec broadcaster TVA.
Two Port Authority employees, Sgt. Michael Orsillo and Officer Adrian Baez, who were onboard the fire truck, were transported to New York-Presbyterian Hospital. By the next day, one had been released; the other remained under observation overnight. Of the 41 passengers and crew members taken to area hospitals, 32 were released by the morning of March 23, according to Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Investigators have since recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. The investigation remains ongoing, and LaGuardia was briefly closed following the crash before reopening at around 2 p.m. the following day.
Against this backdrop of sorrow, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks issued a statement on March 23, describing the event as a solemn reminder of “the fragility of life” and our shared duty “to care for one another with compassion.”
“We entrust the souls of the departed to God’s mercy,” Hicks said, urging prayers for healing and gratitude for those who survived and for the first responders who rushed to help. “May Christ, who walks with us in every trial, bring comfort to those who mourn and peace to all who are suffering.”
As investigators continue to piece together the chain of miscommunications and decisions that led to the tragedy, the archbishop’s words resonated across communities in both Canada and the United States—a spiritual reminder amid grief that, even in moments of chaos, acts of care and humanity endure.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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