FAA moves to fire two LaGuardia controllers who left early before fatal Air Canada collision with fire truck

The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to fire two air traffic controllers at New York LaGuardia Airport who are believed to have left their shifts early before a March 22 collision, a source told Reuters. The collision occurred when an Air Canada aircraft struck a fire truck on the airfield, killing both pilots.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it is actively discussing the allegations with FAA leadership but declined to comment further. The FAA said it "is committed to holding employees accountable, and we will not compromise the safety or efficiency of the National Airspace System." The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported the FAA's decision.

Staffing and shift-discipline lapses at control towers sit alongside mechanical failure and pilot error as a recurring category of causal factor in runway and airfield collisions, and this case ties a specific personnel action to a fatal event rather than a general policy statement. Air traffic control staffing at major U.S. airports has drawn scrutiny in past incidents, and disciplinary action against controllers tied to a specific fatal event is a comparatively rare and visible step.

Control towers operate on minimum staffing levels tied to traffic volume and shift schedules set by the FAA and coordinated with the controllers' union; when coverage gaps occur, the operational risk shifts onto whoever is on the airfield at that moment, in this case ground vehicles and taxiing aircraft. The union's ongoing discussion with FAA leadership over the allegations will determine whether this is treated as an isolated personnel matter or leads to broader review of tower staffing practices at LaGuardia.

What happens next depends on the outcome of the FAA's personnel action and any findings from the ongoing investigation into the collision itself, neither of which has been resolved.