According to CNN's report on the 28th, sources revealed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that two airport controllers at LaGuardia Airport in New York left their posts ahead of time on the night of the crash between a passenger plane and a fire truck on March 22.
At around 11:40 PM local time on March 22nd, Flight 8646 of Canada Airlines landed on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, and collided with a fire truck operated by the Port Authority. At that time, the fire truck was crossing the taxiway, heading to another area of the airport to handle an emergency.
The involved flight carried 76 passengers and 4 crew members. Two pilots were killed, and dozens were injured in the accident, with 6 of them suffering serious injuries.
On March 22 local time, a plane-vehicle collision accident occurred at LaGuardia Airport, AFP.
According to sources involved in the investigation, the FAA is considering disciplinary action against these two air traffic controllers. Currently, both federal aviation administration controllers have taken leave of absence and are no longer responsible for managing air traffic.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the FAA determined that both individuals left work about an hour earlier on the night of the incident. This left the two other air traffic controllers on the tower without sufficient assistance, making it difficult for them to handle the overwhelming workload. It is reported that on the night of the incident, the airport handled more air traffic than usual.
The report mentions that “early shove” has been a common practice in the American aviation industry for a long time, and is considered an informal employee benefit. However, officials from the Federal Aviation Administration have begun to view this behavior as a form of work-hour fraud.
The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the accident. The agency’s final report is expected to be released in six months.
FAA said in a statement: “The Federal Aviation Administration is committed to holding those responsible accountable, and will not compromise the safety and operational efficiency of the national airspace system.”
The Association of Air Traffic Controllers of the National Airspace Management, representing air traffic controllers across China, has not confirmed that controllers will face disciplinary action over those allegations but indicated that the association is "actively communicating with the Federal Aviation Administration on these accusations".
The labor union declared in their statement that: “We believe that this kind of communication is the proper way to deal with the event.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated, “We will not tolerate any falsification of facts. We are taking appropriate measures to hold those responsible accountable and prevent violations that could harm passengers’ travel experiences. A small number of people are abusing positions granted by U.S. taxpayers, unnecessarily burdening other air traffic controllers with additional work, and endangering airspace safety. We must take action in this regard.”
