The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking to fire two air traffic controllers at LaGuardia Airport who are accused of leaving their shifts early on the night of March 22, when an Air Canada Express jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck on the runway, killing two pilots. Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News about the FAA's push Thursday. The Wall Street Journal first reported the development.
The two pilots killed were Capt. Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther. Thirty-nine people, including the two Port Authority workers in the truck, were taken to the hospital. Flight attendant Solange Tremblay was thrown from the plane and suffered fractures to her leg, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report released in April.
According to the NTSB, two controllers were in the LaGuardia tower the night of the crash, which was standard for that shift and time. One controller was handling two jobs simultaneously while the other was coordinating a different emergency.
The agency is investigating whether the unidentified controllers left approximately one hour before the collision. ABC News noted it is not uncommon for controllers to leave early, as many work six days a week due to ongoing staffing shortages across the system.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy released a statement Thursday defending the decision to pursue termination. "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," Duffy said. The statement continued: "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 National Air Traffic Controllers Association said Thursday it is "discussing these allegations with FAA leadership." The union added, "We believe those discussions are the appropriate forum for addressing the matter."
A final determination of what caused the collision has not been made. The NTSB said a final report is expected within 12 to 24 months.
