Two air traffic controllers face potential firing after leaving LaGuardia Airport tower early during Air Canada Express flight collision

The Federal Aviation Administration is pursuing disciplinary action, including potential firing, against two air traffic controllers who left their posts at New York's LaGuardia Airport an hour early on the night of a March 22 crash. The collision occurred when an Air Canada Express jet smashed into a fire truck on the runway, killing both pilots, Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy characterized the early departures as timecard fraud, noting that the controllers' absence left only two people to manage a busy night of flights and an emergency response. The Federal Aviation Administration stated it is committed to holding employees accountable to maintain the safety of the national airspace system. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is currently discussing the allegations with FAA leadership. While the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation, the final report is expected to be published sometime next year.

Sources

• The Independent
  2 LaGuardia air traffic controllers left work an hour early before deadly crash, AP source says
• CNN
  2 air traffic controllers left work early the night an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia, source says
• kare11.com
  Two LaGuardia air traffic controllers left work early before deadly crash, AP source says
• WSJ
  Exclusive | FAA Found LaGuardia Air-Traffic Controllers Left Work Early Before Deadly Collision
• Reuters
  FAA moves to fire two controllers who left work before fatal LaGuardia collision, sources say