On March 22, 2026, an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing both pilots and seriously injuring six others [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The airport was handling roughly twice its normal traffic volume that evening [1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 4, 5, 6].

A Federal Aviation Administration investigation found two air traffic controllers assigned to the LaGuardia tower left their duties about one hour early before the accident [1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 4, 5, 10, 11, 6]. This left only two controllers to manage double the usual traffic [1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 4, 5, 6]. The FAA said the controllers engaged in "timecard fraud" and abandoned their shifts during a heavy workload [1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 4, 5, 11, 6]. They are being prepared for termination.

The FAA highlighted that "early shove," the informal practice of controllers leaving shifts early after assigned duties, has long been tolerated by supervisors as a de facto benefit [1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 4, 11, 6, 12]. However, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is zero tolerance for such conduct. "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," he said [1, 3, 4, 6].

The FAA has disciplined over 10 controllers in 2026 alone for timecard fraud or related misuse of sick leave connected to early leaving practices [3, 7, 8, 9, 4, 11, 6]. It is actively recruiting new controllers, hiring more than 2,000 this year and reaching 94% of its staffing target for 2026 [3, 7, 8, 9, 4, 11].

The National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report cited communication failures and the absence of an emergency responder transponder on the fire truck as contributing factors in the crash [5]. Meanwhile, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it is in discussions with FAA leadership about the allegations but declined to comment publicly on discipline [1, 12, 6].

On August 27, 2026, the FAA and Secretary Duffy publicly announced their zero-tolerance position and disclosed the upcoming firings following a Wall Street Journal report [1, 3, 4, 6]. The two controllers face termination as officials work to prevent a repeat of staffing lapses that compromised safety that night.