Monday, March 23, 2026

NTSB probes controller as part of investigation LGA crash

Investigators probing the deadly collision of an Air Canada jet with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia airport said on Monday they wanted to interview an air traffic controller who was juggling another emergency in the run-up to the crash.

Posted by LampLighter at 09:26 PM | 12 COMMENTS | permalink

Comments

More from the article ...

... The accident while landing, which killed both pilots and seriously injured another nine people, has revived concerns over limited air traffic control staffing at major U.S. airports.
Homendy said the collision shortly before midnight on Sunday happened during an overnight shift for the controller, who would typically be removed from duty after such an accident.

"It's pretty traumatic for that air traffic controller as well," she said. "We'll want to interview that air traffic controller as well as others that were in the tower." ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-23 09:27 PM

More from the article...

...Fire trucks that had appeared to have been cleared by the same controller to cross Runway 4 at the airport were headed to the United flight as the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 jet operated by regional partner Jazz Aviation landed with 72 passengers and four crew.
"Stop, truck one, stop," the controller said, shortly after approving passage across the runway. The arriving plane then hit the fire truck.

According to separate audio posted by liveatc.net, an unidentified controller who appears to be the one involved in the crash, told another pilot after the collision that he had been dealing with an emergency earlier.

"I messed up," he said in a shaken voice.

The pilot of the other plane, which had seen the crash, responded "Nah man, you did the best you could." The pilot had said the earlier incident "wasn't good to watch." ...


#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-23 09:29 PM

@#2

The audio of that conversation, played on the local news, was difficult to listen to.

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-23 09:30 PM

While it appears the controller gave clearance, and did mess up, it wasn't the primary reason for the accident.

The runway status lights (there are various kinds) were activated and the driver of the emergency vehicle proceeded anyway. In one of the videos, the "company of vehicles" stopped, the lead vehicle did not.

RWSL is currently installed at Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco, Los Angeles, McCarran, Phoenix Sky Harbor, George Bush Intercontinental, Minneapolis-St Paul, Chicago O'Hare, Detroit Metropolitan, LaGuardia, Newark, John F. Kennedy, Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport, Washington Dulles, Charlotte Douglas, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood.
skybrary.aero

To cross the runway, the vehicle needed both the REL and Clearance from a controller.

#4 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-03-23 09:44 PM

What is it with Republicans and firing Air Traffic Controllers.

#5 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-03-23 09:44 PM

@#5 ... What is it with Republicans and firing Air Traffic Controllers. ...

Yeah. What do Republicans seem to have against Air Traffic Controllers?

I do await the results of the NTSB investigation to see what happened in this terrible incident.

#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-23 10:26 PM

they wanted to interview an air traffic controller

Oh, I bet they do. And likely have.

#7 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-03-24 12:13 AM

Fucking fake chink bitch thinks he can fly. Hey idiot, nobody believes you.

#8 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-03-24 12:22 AM

@#7 ... Oh, I bet they do. And likely have. ...

This was in the local news here for me.

The voice recordings were aired on the local news.

@#2 ... "I messed up," he said in a shaken voice. ...

Shaken voice? That cannot begin to describe the feeling I heard in his voice.

#9 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-24 12:39 AM

Gonna be a lot of procedure reviews happening as the lawyers swarm in.

#10 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-03-24 12:54 AM

@#10

Yup.

#11 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-24 01:01 AM

as the lawyers swarm in.

Probably a battle between ATC and firefighter unions.

#12 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-03-24 01:15 AM

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