The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving to terminate two LaGuardia Airport air traffic controllers who reportedly left work early before the deadly Air Canada Express runway collision on March 22, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal and Reuters.
The controllers allegedly left around an hour before their scheduled shifts ended, leaving two other controllers to manage a heavy workload as thunderstorms disrupted airport operations.
Later that night, Air Canada Express Flight 8646 collided with an airport firetruck while landing on Runway 4, killing both pilots. The NTSB said 39 people were taken to hospitals, including six who suffered serious injuries.
Leaving a shift early, reportedly known among controllers as an “early shove,” has occurred at some facilities for years. However, the FAA considers leaving early while improperly recording hours worked to be a form of timecard fraud.
Importantly, the NTSB has not determined that the controllers’ early departures or staffing levels caused or contributed to the crash. The investigation into the collision remains ongoing.
The FAA has recently increased disciplinary action over alleged timecard and leave-policy violations as it seeks to strengthen accountability among air traffic controllers.