FAA moves to fire two LaGuardia controllers over early departures before fatal crash
The Federal Aviation Administration is taking steps to fire two air traffic controllers determined to have left their shifts early before an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in March, according to people familiar with the matter.
The moves are in keeping with a broader push by the Trump administration to crack down on controllers leaving shifts early or abusing sick leave, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the information is not public.
“The FAA is committed to holding employees accountable, and we will not compromise the safety or efficiency of the National Airspace System,” the agency said in an emailed statement.
The regulator said it was meanwhile staffing up its controller workforce through hiring.
So-called early shoves are a long-standing, informal practice where supervisors give controllers permission to leave early during slow periods, while still giving them full pay.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Thursday that the agency was conducting a broader review of alleged timecard fraud and was moving to fire the two controllers.
The crash and the investigation
Two LaGuardia Airport air traffic controllers in the control tower left work early the night an Air Canada Express flight collided with an airport fire truck on the runway, according to a source familiar with the investigation into the March 22 crash.
The two pilots of Air Canada Express Flight 8646 were killed when the jet collided with an airport fire truck just after landing. The fire truck had been crossing the taxiway to respond to an incident across the airport. The plane had 72 passengers and four crew members on board for the one-hour flight from Montreal to New York’s LaGuardia, dozens of whom were injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration is now considering disciplinary action against the controllers, the source said, adding that their departure was not by “just a few minutes.” Both FAA controllers are currently on leave, according to the source, and are not currently responsible for controlling air traffic.
The new details were first reported by the Wall Street Journal as the National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the crash. The agency’s final report — and a finding of probable cause and contributing factors — is not likely to be published for another six months.
The union which represents air traffic controllers, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, would not confirm that controllers were being disciplined, but said the union is “actively discussing these allegations with FAA leadership.”
“We believe those discussions are the appropriate forum for addressing the matter,” the union said in a statement.
Sequence of events and preliminary findings
The union representing American air traffic controllers has acknowledged allegations that two members left work early shortly before an Air Canada regional jet crashed at LaGuardia Airport in March, killing two pilots.
U.S. media reports suggest the Federal Aviation Administration is looking to fire the two flight controllers, who allegedly clocked out roughly an hour before their shift ended, leaving a pair of colleagues at the LaGuardia tower without backup.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association confirmed the allegations, first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, in an emailed statement.
“NATCA is actively discussing these allegations with FAA leadership. We believe those discussions are the appropriate forum for addressing the matter,” the union said.
The U.S. federal agency has not addressed the accusations directly but said it is “committed to holding employees accountable.”
“We will not compromise the safety or efficiency of the National Airspace System,” the FAA said in an email.
Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on March 22, an air traffic controller cleared an Air Canada Express plane to land less than two minutes before green-lighting a fire truck to cross the active runway. The resulting collision left two Canadian aviators dead and sent more than 40 people to hospital.
Footage shows the jet speeding along the rain-streaked strip as the truck crosses its path, veering away too late from an impact that unleashed a trail of smoke and debris as the plane skidded more than 100 metres farther, its cockpit obliterated.
The controller recognized the danger moments beforehand, instructing the truck to “stop” — 12 times in 10 seconds — but receiving no reply.
A preliminary report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board in April found that system failures and communication issues played a key role in the accident.
Experts have praised the pilots — Quebecer Antoine Forest and Ontarian MacKenzie Gunther, who flew for Air Canada Express carrier — for their quick braking that likely saved lives.