LaGuardia Airport Accident Raises Concerns About Staffing
Last Sunday, LaGuardia Airport in New York experienced a hectic environment before an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck, leading several current and former U.S. air traffic controllers to suggest that more personnel should have been on duty.
Weather-related delays resulted in 70 commercial flights affected between 10 p.m. and 11:37 p.m. An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 regional aircraft crashed during this time, tragically claiming the lives of both pilots.
In comparison, the average number of flights during the same hours on Sunday nights in March since 2022 was 53, while only 31 flights were scheduled on the night of the incident, according to aviation consultancy Cirium.
Six air traffic controllers who spoke to Reuters described their workload as chaotic. Five noted that they either had other controllers assist them or found themselves working beyond their scheduled shifts to cope with the unexpected surge in flights.
The situation was exacerbated when a United Airlines flight declared a state of emergency due to an unpleasant odor. Audio from LiveATC.net revealed that air traffic controllers spotted a fire truck in the path of the Air Canada jet and unsuccessfully attempted to intervene.
This accident has reignited discussions about the pressures faced by U.S. air traffic controllers. Typically, staffing is limited to just two individuals, particularly during nighttime hours, which sometimes necessitates one controller managing both runway and ground operations.
On Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that LaGuardia had 33 certified air traffic controllers on staff, with six in training, although the facility is designed to support 37 controllers.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the crash and confirmed that two controllers were on duty in the glass tower cab at the time of the collision.
Experts speculated that the controllers managing both the United Airlines emergency and the crash likely juggled multiple tasks, but NTSB investigators are still evaluating whether those responsibilities were improperly combined.
Ray Adams, a former air traffic controller at Newark Airport, expressed that it’s unusual for controllers to hold multiple roles during busy nights.
Previous incidents have prompted changes in procedure. For instance, the NTSB’s report on a 1997 collision at LaGuardia highlighted that joint responsibilities for field and ground positions are not to occur before midnight at the airport, though it’s uncertain if those protocols remain active today. A spokesperson for the Port Authority directed inquiries to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has yet to respond regarding LaGuardia’s current operational guidelines.
The NTSB indicated that its investigation will focus on tower procedures, noting that aircraft accidents usually have multiple contributing factors. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homemendy recently remarked that it’s too early to rule anything out.
One current controller described how, during inclement weather, it’s not uncommon for controllers to stay beyond the end of their shifts to manage air traffic more effectively.
“The weather was pretty bad that night,” the controller said, wishing to remain anonymous due to media restrictions. “There was still quite a bit of activity at LaGuardia.” Aviation records indicate that ground and atmospheric icing contributed to reduced flow and delays.
According to industry sources, the United Airlines flight that declared an emergency had to abort takeoff twice because of issues with the aircraft’s anti-icing system, although United did not provide further comment.
The air traffic controller involved in the Air Canada crash was not immediately relieved of duty—a usual protocol after such incidents—but was later released. He mentioned having managed previous emergencies.
In a moment of reflection, he expressed, “We failed.” To which a pilot who had witnessed the crash reassured him, “No, you did your best.”
