The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has moved to fire two air-traffic controllers who left their posts an hour early on March 22, the night a fatal collision occurred at New York City's LaGuardia Airport. The incident involved an Air Canada plane and an airport firetruck, resulting in the deaths of two pilots and serious injuries to six others.
Sources familiar with the investigation told The Wall Street Journal that the two controllers had clocked out approximately one hour before their shifts were scheduled to end. This early departure, known in the industry as an "early shove," allegedly left the remaining staff at the LaGuardia tower without backup during a period of high workload. The FAA considers this practice to be timecard fraud.
This finding comes as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation into the crash. The NTSB has not yet concluded whether tower staffing played a role in the incident, though investigators are scrutinizing the staffing levels at the LaGuardia tower on the night of the crash. The collision occurred around 11:30 p.m. after the firetruck was cleared to cross the runway to check on a United Airlines plane that had aborted its takeoff due to an odor. A controller can be heard on airport communications frantically attempting to stop the firetruck as the Air Canada jet approached.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned the practice of controllers leaving 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."
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy stated in March that the LaGuardia tower was staffed with a local controller and a controller in charge. The controller in charge was also performing the duties of the clearance delivery controller, who issues departure clearances. Homendy noted that having only two controllers on midnight shifts was standard operating procedure at LaGuardia and common across U.S. airspace. However, she acknowledged that staffing levels during midnight shifts have been a long-standing concern for the agency.
The FAA reported that in April it employed approximately 11,000 certified air-traffic controllers and was training an additional 4,000. The agency has stated its commitment to accountability and enhancing the National Airspace System's safety and efficiency. The FAA has also stated that it hired more than 2,000 controllers in 2026, which it described as the most in a single year and 20 percent more than in 2024.