The swift reactions of Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther, the two pilots who died in the Air Canada Express collision at New York's LaGuardia Airport, have been hailed by the passengers as having prevented a far greater tragedy.
All 72 others aboard the Bombardier CRJ-900 survived the impact, though 41 passengers and crew required hospital treatment alongside two officers from the fire truck that the plane crashed into.
Those who walked away from the wreckage have since spoken of the "chaos" that unfolded as the aircraft veered out of control, whilst crediting the pilots' instinctive actions with sparing numerous lives.
Survivors have recounted feeling the pilots brake with tremendous force in the moments before impact.
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Clément Lelièvre, a French passenger, said that the crew applied the brakes "extremely hard" as the aircraft touched down, an action he believes averted further fatalities.
"I don't know the circumstances, but I think he kind of saved our lives because he must have had incredible reflexes," she explained.
Another passenger, posting on Reddit, described feeling a sudden jolt, followed by a loud bang, roughly 30 seconds after landing.
They noted that the pilot appeared to engage reverse thrust at the final moment to reduce speed.
The late pilot Antoine Forest and his first officer Mackenzie Gunther have been hailed for their life-saving reflexes in the Air Canada Express collision
|FACEBOOK: ANTOINE FOREST
"Honestly, they likely saved our lives," the passenger wrote. "I wish I could tell their families how thankful I am. They are heroes."
The flight from Montreal had just touched down at approximately 11.35pm local time when it struck the emergency vehicle, which was crossing the runway to attend to an unrelated incident.
Audio recordings from the air traffic control tower have revealed the desperate attempts to avert disaster.
In the moments before the collision, a controller can be heard repeatedly instructing the vehicle to halt, shouting: "Truck One, stop, stop, stop!"
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All 72 others aboard the Bombardier CRJ-900 survived the impact at New York's LaGuardia Airport
| REUTERSThe fire truck had received clearance to cross the runway whilst responding to a separate emergency.
A pilot on another aircraft had reported an unusual odour filling the cabin, causing flight attendants to feel unwell.
Controllers appeared to recognise the impending collision only seconds before the crash occurred at around 11.30pm.
Immediately afterwards, a dispatcher addressed the stricken aircraft: "JAZZ 646, I see you collided with the vehicle. Just hold position. I know you can't move. Vehicles are responding to you now."
'Honestly, they likely saved our lives,' one passenger wrote, adding: 'I wish I could tell their families how thankful I am. They are heroes.'
|GETTY
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy confirmed that investigators have successfully retrieved both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the wreckage.
Recovery teams were forced to cut through the aircraft's roof and descend into the debris to secure the devices, which have since been transported to laboratories in Washington DC. Officials have verified that the cockpit voice recorder sustained no damage.
The NTSB is also examining staffing arrangements at the control tower following reports that a single controller may have been managing two positions simultaneously. Chairwoman Homendy stated that investigators must review records, conduct interviews and examine time cards to corroborate preliminary information.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has disputed claims that only one controller was on duty.
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