Following a tragic collision between an Air Canada plane and a rescue truck at LaGuardia Airport, the air traffic controller in charge continued working after the incident, which occurred around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday and resulted in the deaths of two pilots.
At the time of the accident, only two controllers were on duty. Notably, one of them had just crossed the runway past emergency vehicles to manage a different incident just prior to the Air Canada landing, as noted by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.
“It’s clear that the controller remained on duty for several minutes afterward,” she stated. “Typically, they would have been replaced.” This raises questions about whether anyone could have stepped in to relieve that controller, but the answer is still unknown.
During a press conference, Homendy expressed caution about laying blame on the air traffic controllers or suggesting distractions while acknowledging ongoing investigations by the FAA. One potential distraction mentioned involved a United Airlines flight that experienced a mysterious odor, making crew members feel unwell.
The Port Authority’s police and fire rescue vehicle had been cleared to cross the runway just seconds before the Air Canada flight touched down. Frantic audio recordings from the control tower captured the controller urging, “Stop, stop, stop, stop,” to the truck, eventually admitting that the situation “failed.”
Homendy elaborated on the complexities involved, stating, “Major accidents are rarely attributed to a single failure. Typically, many factors contribute when something goes wrong.”
Latest coverage of Air Canada fatal crash at LaGuardia Airport
The investigation into who was in the control tower during the crash is ongoing. The incident killed two pilots and injured around 40 others, including a flight attendant who miraculously survived a drop from over 300 feet.
According to Homendy, it’s usual for there to be two controllers on the late-night shifts. Both had just begun their work when the accident took place.
Interestingly, the tower at LaGuardia was busier than anticipated that night. Flight delays led to a surge in both arrivals and departures after 10 p.m.
