The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving to fire two air-traffic controllers who left work an hour early on the night of March 22, when an Air Canada plane collided with an airport firetruck at LaGuardia Airport, killing two pilots and injuring six others. Sources familiar with the investigation told The Wall Street Journal that the controllers clocked out about an hour before their shifts were scheduled to end, a practice known as an 'early shove' within the industry. The FAA considers this practice to be timecard fraud.
This early departure meant that the remaining staff at the LaGuardia tower were not adequately supported to handle the high workload. The airport was experiencing more than twice its usual traffic volume that night, compounded by thunderstorms and other disruptions. The collision occurred around 11:30 p.m. after a fire truck was cleared to cross Runway 4 to investigate a United Airlines plane that had aborted its takeoff due to an odor on board.
Air traffic control communications revealed a controller frantically attempting to stop the fire truck as the collision became imminent. Approximately 20 minutes after the crash, the controller can be heard expressing remorse, saying, 'We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up.' The runway warning system did not activate before the jet and truck collided.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is still investigating the crash and has not yet determined if tower staffing played a role. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy stated in March that the LaGuardia tower was staffed with a local controller and a controller in charge. However, on the night of the incident, the controller in charge was also performing the duties of the clearance delivery controller. Homendy noted that having only two controllers for midnight shifts is standard operating procedure at LaGuardia and common across the U.S. airspace. She also acknowledged that staffing levels during midnight shifts have been a long-standing concern for the agency.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned controllers who clock out early, stating, 'The vast majority of air-traffic controllers are great patriots... But when a small percentage of individuals take advantage of the American taxpayer, unfairly add additional work to their fellow controllers, and impact the airspace—we have no choice but to act. We will not tolerate fraud.'
The FAA reported in April that it employed approximately 11,000 certified air-traffic controllers and was training an additional 4,000. The agency has stated it is committed to holding employees accountable and is strengthening its workforce, hiring over 2,000 controllers in 2026, the highest number in a single year.
