FAA Moves to Fire Two LaGuardia Controllers Who Allegedly Left Early Before Deadly Crash

The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to fire two air traffic controllers who allegedly left their posts about an hour before their shifts ended on the night of the deadly March collision between an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to reports Thursday.

The early departures allegedly left just two controllers in the LaGuardia tower without backup as they dealt with an unusually heavy workload. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the development, said air traffic at the airport was running at roughly twice its normal volume that night.

The March 22 disaster occurred after Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a CRJ-900 arriving from Montreal, landed on Runway 4 and collided with an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was crossing the runway. The plane’s captain and first officer were killed.

According to the NTSB’s preliminary findings, two controllers were working in the tower at the time of the collision. One was simultaneously handling ground-control and controller-in-charge responsibilities while dealing with a separate aircraft emergency, while the other took over communications on both the ground and local-control frequencies. The NTSB has not yet determined the probable cause of the crash, and its investigation remains ongoing.

The newly disclosed FAA findings raise questions about why only two controllers were available at the time. According to the Journal, federal officials determined that two additional controllers had departed approximately an hour before their scheduled shifts were over, leaving the remaining controllers without additional personnel to assist during the heavy traffic period.

The practice of controllers leaving before the scheduled end of their shifts is reportedly known within the industry as an “early shove.” Federal aviation officials are now conducting a broader examination of alleged timecard abuses involving air traffic controllers.

The FAA confirmed that it is taking the allegations seriously but did not publicly identify the two controllers.

The agency said it “is committed to holding employees accountable, and we will not compromise the safety or efficiency of the National Airspace System.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing controllers, said it is discussing the allegations directly with FAA officials.

“NATCA is actively discussing these allegations with F.A.A. leadership. We believe those discussions are the appropriate forum for addressing the matter,” the union said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also condemned alleged abuse of work schedules, saying most controllers faithfully perform an extraordinarily demanding job but that the government would act against employees who violate the rules.

“We will not tolerate fraud, and we are taking appropriate action to hold folks accountable and prevent unlawful practices from disrupting the traveling public,” Duffy said, adding that such practices “take advantage of the American taxpayer, unfairly add additional work to their fellow controllers and impact the airspace.”

The NTSB’s preliminary investigation has provided a harrowing picture of the moments immediately preceding the collision. The fire truck had requested and received clearance to cross Runway 4 as the Air Canada aircraft approached. The runway’s warning lights were functioning, and the controller subsequently repeatedly ordered the truck to stop as the danger became apparent.

Investigators found that the controller first instructed the truck to stop about 12 seconds before impact and again issued a warning four seconds before the collision. Both the fire truck and aircraft apparently attempted evasive maneuvers immediately before they struck one another.

The FAA has since accelerated efforts to improve the tracking of airport vehicles, announcing a $16.5 million initiative to equip its airport vehicles with transponders that allow controllers to identify and follow them on runway and taxiway surveillance systems. The agency specifically cited the LaGuardia crash in announcing the safety initiative.

For now, however, investigators have not concluded that staffing levels or the alleged early departures caused or contributed to the fatal collision. The NTSB investigation remains open, with a final determination of the accident’s cause still pending.

The FAA’s effort to terminate the two controllers nevertheless adds a significant new dimension to the investigation, focusing scrutiny not only on what happened in the seconds before the crash, but also on staffing decisions inside the LaGuardia control tower in the hours leading up to it.

{Matzav.com}