LaGuardia probe team to investigate whether traffic controller stepped away moments before crash
NEW YORK, NEW YORK CITY: The investigation into the deadly LaGuardia plane crash has taken an unexpected turn, with investigators speculating whether the traffic controller stepped away to use the emergency phone moments before the plane crashed into a fire vehicle at the airport.
The latest update on the probe reveals that federal authorities are reportedly investigating whether an air traffic controller at LaGuardia Airport was forced to leave their console to use an emergency landline moments before the fatal collision at the airport.
The deadly crash between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck occurred on Sunday, March 22, killing both pilots. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is pursuing critical questions as it attempts to reconstruct the accident scene, the New York Post reports.
Officials are currently investigating whether the "crash phone," also known as the emergency phone, played any role in interrupting traffic controllers during the crucial minutes before the jet's landing.
A crash phone is a dedicated landline typically located away from active workstations.
The NTSB confirmed that two people were present in the control room at the time of the crash, as tower staffing remained one of the key points under investigation.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations require a minimum of two controllers for the overnight “mid” shift.
LaGuardia probe team looking into several possibilities
NTSB officials are reviewing data from the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and the fire truck’s electronic data recorder.
The probe team is also considering the possibility of communication blockage, particularly whether a blocked radio transmission muted the traffic controller’s last-minute instruction to fire the vehicle, asking it to stop.
Blocked radio transmission occurs when two parties transmit messages simultaneously, causing one party's message to be muted.
The accident investigation team is also analyzing the role of the physical environment, including whether the driver’s line of sight was compromised by the taxiway's awkward angle or by light pollution from the terminal.
How fatal crashed occurred
The accident occurred while fire trucks were responding to a United Airlines flight reporting a strange odor. What began as a routine call became an emergency minutes before the crash, as pilots feared an evacuation might be necessary.
The radio recording reveals that the traffic controller was handling the landing of more than six other aircraft when the crash occurred. The controller noticed the jet approaching shortly after he gave the green light for the fire truck to cross the runway. However, the collision happened seconds after he instructed the fire truck to stop.
