2 LaGuardia air traffic controllers left work early before deadly collision, government source says

Two air traffic controllers at LaGuardia Airport in New York left work early on the night of a deadly runway collision in March, a government source familiar with the situation told CBS News on Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration is in the process of trying to fire those two controllers for leaving their shifts earlier than scheduled because the agency considers it timecard fraud, the source said.

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. Two Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting officers from the truck, and 39 of the 76 people on board the plane, were taken to local hospitals.

At the time of the crash, two controllers were working in the tower. 

The other two who left early would have been additional support staffing, as the National Transportation Safety Board said in March it is common to have just two controllers in the tower.

“It’s also common practice across the national airspace where you would have two controllers in the cab during the midnight shift,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at the time.

The NTSB said it’s investigating staffing and it has long had concerns about fatigue from controllers working that shift across the country.

“The vast majority of air traffic controllers are great patriots — they show up for work, complete their full shift, and come back and do it all again,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement Thursday. “But when a small percentage of individuals take advantage of the American taxpayer, unfairly add additional work to their fellow controllers, and impact the airspace — we have no choice but to act. We will not tolerate fraud, and we are taking appropriate action to hold folks accountable and prevent unlawful practices from disrupting the traveling public.”

The air traffic controllers union said it is discussing the situation with FAA leadership.

The FAA would not agree to an interview with CBS News New York, but said it’s committed to holding employees accountable. It also says they’re hiring more controllers to try to fight staffing shortages. 

Todd Yeary, a former air traffic controller, told CBS News New York that there are plenty of unanswered questions from the FAA.

“Now, if it is just arbitrary leaving for the sake of leaving because it’s an endorsed practice, we know that’s a whole problem,” he said. “But there are some other factors there. Was the traffic low? Were they on leave? Was that comp time?”