Federal investigators are analyzing a series of systemic safety failures at LaGuardia Airport after a senior flight attendant miraculously survived being ejected from an Air Canada Express jet during a fatal runway collision on March 22.
Solange Tremblay, a 26-year veteran of Jazz Aviation, was found strapped to her jump seat on the tarmac, more than 320 feet from the wreckage of Flight 8646. Her daughter, Sarah Lépine, confirmed that Tremblay remained conscious throughout the harrowing ordeal, which claimed the lives of the aircraft’s two pilots.
The incident occurred just before midnight when the Bombardier CRJ-900, arriving from Montreal, struck a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4. The impact obliterated the cockpit and forward galley where Tremblay was stationed.
According to family statements and medical reports, Tremblay’s injuries are catastrophic:
- Open Fractures: Both legs were shattered, requiring metal plates and extensive surgeries.
- Tissue Loss: Significant skin grafts are needed to repair damage sustained while sliding across the tarmac.
- Spinal Trauma: Tremblay suffered a fractured spine and remains under observation for potential neurological surgery.
- Systemic Risks: She has already received a blood transfusion following surgical complications. Lépine noted that the “greatest fear” remains the risk of life-threatening infection.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating why a critical runway warning system failed to alert the crew or the fire truck before the impact. Preliminary data suggests the fire truck was responding to an unrelated emergency involving a United Airlines flight when it crossed the active runway.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy indicated that investigators are examining air traffic control staffing and communication protocols, as the truck was reportedly instructed to stop seconds before the collision.
The aviation community has responded with an outpouring of support. A GoFundMe campaign established by Lépine has raised nearly $190,000 as of Monday to cover Tremblay’s mounting medical costs and long-term rehabilitation.
While the bodies of Captain Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther have been repatriated to Canada, Tremblay remains hospitalized in New York. “It is a complete miracle she survived,” Lépine told Quebec’s TVA News. “She had a guardian angel watching over her.”
The FAA has yet to issue a final report on the runway incursion, the first fatal accident at LaGuardia in over three decades.
