Federal investigators have discovered “conflicting information” in the control tower records at LaGuardia Airport as they continue to probe the events leading up to a deadly runway crash on March 22. However, the identity of who was overseeing ground control duties prior to the incident remains uncertain.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Jennifer Homendy, Chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), mentioned that they are attempting to clarify discrepancies noted in the tower logs, particularly concerning dates and times. “We have logs, but there’s conflicting info— like dates and times,” she remarked.
It’s still unclear who was acting as ground controller, the individual responsible for directing aircraft and vehicles on the taxiway. Conflicting reports suggest it could have been either the designated controller or the field controller.
At the core of this investigation is an incident where an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 collided with a Port Authority fire truck on Runway 4 after the tower had authorized the vehicle’s crossing.
A preliminary review of the cockpit voice recorder indicates events transpired rapidly. The fire truck requested clearance to cross Runway 4 approximately 25 seconds before the end of the recording. The tower granted permission to “Truck 1 and its group” 20 seconds later. However, just nine seconds before impact, the tower ordered the truck to stop.
“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the controller urgently communicated, repeating the command multiple times as the moments ticked away. At the eight-second mark, a sound consistent with landing gear hitting the runway was captured. Just six seconds before the crash, the pilot was transitioning from co-pilot to captain.
Additionally, investigators noted that at least one radio transmission from the airport vehicle was interrupted by another transmission, making it inaudible. The source of this disrupted transmission is still unknown. Moreover, the first fire truck did not have a transponder, which limited the information available to air traffic controllers and the airport’s surface detection systems.
The NTSB also reported that their analysis of the airport’s ground surveillance system found that no alerts were triggered as the aircraft and fire truck neared each other. Homendy explained that the ASDE-X system did not issue any warnings due to the close proximity of merging vehicles near the runway.
There were two controllers on duty in the tower at that time: a local controller and the assigned controller, who might have combined responsibilities typical for late-night operations. While it’s common to coordinate such roles during nighttime shifts, there are concerns about the effects of fatigue on such duties, something the NTSB has previously addressed.
Homendy emphasized that it’s premature to assign blame, stating that “significant accidents resulting from a single failure are rarely, if ever, investigated.” The plane, which was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, collided with the fire truck during landing, resulting in the deaths of both pilots and injuries to numerous others.
While investigators have retrieved the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, they’re still examining the tower’s operations, technical systems, and the actions of the controllers. Interviews with air traffic controllers are slated to start Tuesday afternoon.
