FAA Moves to Fire Two LaGuardia Controllers
FAA Moves to Fire Two LaGuardia Controllers
The News
The FAA is moving to fire two air-traffic controllers who left the LaGuardia tower roughly an hour before their shifts ended on the night of a deadly runway collision, according to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters.
On March 22, an Air Canada regional jet collided with a firetruck on the runway at more than 100 mph. Two pilots were killed and 71 people were hospitalized.
With the two controllers gone, the two who remained were left without backup to handle a heavy workload, the FAA found.
Timeline
Two controllers leave the LaGuardia tower about an hour before their shifts end. That same night, an Air Canada regional jet strikes a firetruck on the runway at over 100 mph, killing two pilots and sending 71 people to the hospital.
The Wall Street Journal reports the FAA's finding that the controllers left early. Reuters, citing a source, reports the agency is moving to terminate both.
Reactions
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency "will not tolerate fraud" from controllers who burden their colleagues and affect the safety of the airspace.
The FAA is conducting a broader review of alleged timecard fraud among controllers — a practice known inside the agency as "early shoves," according to the Wall Street Journal.
What's Next
Both controllers face termination.
The wider timecard-fraud review could reach controllers at facilities well beyond LaGuardia. How many are implicated is not yet known.
It remains unresolved whether the early departures directly caused the collision or were one of several contributing factors.
More
The Trump administration has separately stepped up efforts to recruit new air-traffic controllers, an occupation the FAA has struggled to staff.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Just the News, Citizen Free Press.
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