Two air traffic controllers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport are facing potential dismissal after the FAA determines they left their tower duties about an hour early on March 22, the night an Air Canada aircraft collided with a fire truck on a runway.
Multiple outlets, citing FAA-related or AP-sourced information, report that the FAA is pursuing disciplinary action against the two controllers. One described detail across reports is that controllers had, at times, been allowed to “leave early” during slower periods under an informal practice where supervisors grant permission to clock out ahead of schedule while maintaining full pay. Some coverage frames the FAA action as part of a wider effort to curb early departures and related misconduct.
Across the accounts, the focus stays on the alleged early shift departure and the FAA’s disciplinary process, with little dispute about the incident date and the existence of potential firing proceedings. Reports also consistently connect the alleged departures to the fatal March collision, which killed two pilots and left multiple others seriously injured, but differ mainly in wording and emphasis on broader policy context.
