The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking to dismiss two air traffic controllers at LaGuardia Airport who left work before their shifts ended on the night a plane and a fire truck collided on the runway, killing two pilots, a government source familiar with the situation told CBS News on Thursday.
FAA moves to fire two LaGuardia controllers who left shifts early on night of deadly runway collision
The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking to dismiss two air traffic controllers at LaGuardia Airport who left work before their shifts ended on the night a plane and a fire truck collided on the runway, killing two pilots, a government source familiar with the situation told CBS News on Thursday.
Just before midnight on March 22, an Air Canada Express plane arriving at LaGuardia collided with a fire truck on the runway. The pilot and copilot of the plane were killed, and two Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting officers from the truck, along with 39 of the 76 people on board, were taken to local hospitals.
Two controllers were working in the tower at the time of the crash. The two who left early would have been additional support staffing, according to the source. The National Transportation Safety Board said in March that it is common to have just two controllers in the tower during the midnight shift.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at the time: 'It's also common practice across the national airspace where you would have two controllers in the cab during the midnight shift.' The NTSB said it is investigating staffing and has long had concerns about fatigue among controllers working that shift across the country.
The FAA declined an interview with CBS News New York but said it is committed to holding employees accountable and is hiring more controllers to address staffing shortages.
- The source does not state whether the early departures by the two controllers had any connection to the cause of the runway collision.
- The source does not state how much earlier than scheduled the two controllers left their shifts.
- The source does not state at what stage the FAA's dismissal process is, or whether the two controllers have been formally notified.
- The source does not name the two controllers facing dismissal.
- The source does not state what the controllers or their representatives have said in response to the termination proceedings.
- The source does not state the identity of the government source or their role beyond being 'familiar with the situation.'