Passengers Say Pilots Killed During LaGuardia Airport Tragedy ‘Saved Our Lives’

Passengers said the pilots who were killed during the tragic collision at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday courageously tried to stop the plane, ultimately saving the lives onboard.

Rebecca Liquori said the Air Canada pilots did not hesitate to try and stop the plane that hit a Port Authority firetruck in a ground crash, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

“I feel like the pilots saved our lives. They’re the reasons I was able to make it home safe to see my boys, and my heart goes out to their families,” she stated.
The pilots died in the collision and 41 others were transported to a hospital after the incident that shut down the airport for most of Monday, according to Breitbart News.

“Audio recordings from the incident featured air traffic control granting permission to the Port Authority truck to cross a runway just moments before urging the truck to stop as the collision occurs,” the outlet said.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy shared an image of the mangled plane early Monday, saying he was on his way to the scene and officials were investigating what happened.

“Please keep the victims, families and response teams in your prayers,” he wrote:

Another passenger named Clément Lelièvre said he felt the pilots brake hard when the plane touched down.

“I think he kind of saved our lives because he must have had incredible reflexes,” he commented.

The pilots were identified as Antoine Forest and his first officer, Mackenzie Gunther, according to the Mail. In his comments about the tragedy, Federal Aviation Administrator Brian Bedford said, “These were two young men at the start of their careers. It’s an absolute tragedy that we’re sitting here with their loss.”

According to an audio recording, air traffic controllers at LaGuardia tried to get the truck to halt moments before it passed into the plane’s path. One of them was later heard saying “I messed up”:

There were long security lines and ongoing delays at LaGuardia after the crash, and other airports across the nation have been experiencing the same as the Democrat shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) drags on and many Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay, according to Breitbart News.