The Federal Aviation Administration is pushing to fire two air traffic controllers who left work early before an Air Canada jet crashed into a firetruck at LaGuardia Airport in March, according to a report.
The two controllers left work about an hour before their shifts officially ended on March 22, leaving the two remaining controllers at LaGuardia with a heavier workload, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
The New York City airport was dealing with more than twice its typical volumes of traffic due to rain and thunderstorms the day of the crash, which left two pilots dead and six other people on the ground seriously injured.
The incident has raised questions about staffing shortages among air traffic controllers — as well as practices within the industry, such as leaving early, that may have led to the accident.
Leaving early is called an “early shove” in the industry, and current and former controllers told the Journal it’s viewed as an informal perk after busy periods. However, FAA officials see it as a form of timecard fraud. The agency has fired more than 10 controllers this year for alleged timecard fraud or abuse of leave policies, according to the report.
“The vast majority of air-traffic controllers are great patriots — they show up for work, complete their full shift, and come back and do it all again,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
“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.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it was discussing these fraud allegations with FAA officials.
“What should not be ignored is the extraordinary dedication of the thousands of air-traffic controllers who report to work every day, often under extremely challenging staffing conditions, and remain focused on keeping the flying public safe,” the union told the Journal.
The FAA said it has hired over 2,000 controllers this year, or about 94 percent of its hiring goal for 2026, to help alleviate an air-traffic staffing shortage that has been worsening travel delays.
