The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether an air traffic controller at LaGuardia Airport was forced to leave their console to use an emergency landline moments before a fatal collision between an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck, according to The New York Times.
The crash on March 22 killed two pilots and marked the first fatal incident at the Queens airport in over 30 years. The NTSB is examining whether the use of a 'crash phone' — a dedicated landline located away from active workstations — affected the controller's ability to monitor the runway.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations require a minimum of two controllers for the overnight 'mid' shift, and the NTSB confirmed two were present in the control room at the time. Third and fourth controllers were also on-site elsewhere in the building, but their roles remain unclear.
The NTSB is reviewing cockpit and fire truck data recorders, and investigating whether a blocked radio transmission muted the controller's last-second instruction for the truck to stop. Investigators are also analyzing whether the driver's line of sight was compromised by the taxiway's angle or terminal light pollution, and how weather-related delays may have strained the crew.
The crash occurred while six fire trucks were responding to a United Airlines flight reporting a strange odour. Radio recordings show the controller was managing half a dozen other aircraft in the minute before the collision. After granting the fire convoy permission to cross the runway, the controller issued a stop command, but the lead vehicle and landing jet collided seconds later.
No passengers or firefighters were fatally injured. The NTSB's final report is expected in 12 to 18 months.
