The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether a problem with a United Airlines flight distracted an air traffic controller in the LaGuardia Airport tower at a critical juncture, said a person briefed on the matter, and whether it paved the way for a runway accident that killed two pilots.
At 11:37 p.m. on Sunday, when the accident occurred, two controllers were working in the LaGuardia tower, according to this person and a second person who was briefed on the matter, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
One controller was talking to a fire truck that was en route to assist a United Airlines jet, which had reported a foul odor that was sickening flight attendants, according to audio recordings of the air traffic controller communications. As the controller was clearing the fire truck to cross a major runway, an Air Canada jet was landing on the same runway. It crashed headlong into the fire truck, killing the jet’s two pilots and injuring a number of passengers.
At the time of the accident, both controllers were working two positions at the same time, these people said, reflecting the thin staffing that is typical at that time of night because of the relatively light traffic at the airport.
Those controllers were in a “mid,” or midnight, shift configuration, said one of the people briefed on the matter. At LaGuardia, that shift typically stretches from about 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., the National Transportation Safety Bureau chair, Jennifer Homendy, said at a news conference Monday evening. She added that it wasn’t clear how long those controllers had been on shift at the time of the accident.
An additional two controllers were elsewhere in the building, but were not in the “cab,” or control room of the tower, at the time of the accident, said the two people who were briefed on the matter.
The F.A.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Karoun Demirjian contributed reporting.
Kate Kelly covers money, policy and influence for The Times.
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