Air Traffic Controllers' Rule-Breaking at LaGuardia

0:00On March 31, New Docs show air traffic controllers Elegordia might have broken rules the night an air candidate jet smashed into a fire truck. They could have combined local air and ground duties before midnight, which goes against standard procedures still in place from a 1997 crash. Staffing shortages nationwide are forcing controllers to double up on roles way more often. Even supervisors, the FAA runs the show but didn't comment when asked. Those who spoken out say the workload that night was heavy, with weather delays pushing 70 flights through between 10 pm and 11, 37 pm above the usual 53, a New York controller called it a no-go to merge those positions so early. The NTSB's digging deep, noting two controllers on duty, a local one for runways and a controller in charge on clearances. They're fuzzy on who handled ground movements like taxiways, with audio suggesting the local guy pulled double duty. Their stress crashes like this stem from layers of issues, not one slip-up, and they're

1:02chasing every detail on those roles. U.S. news today, powered by AI bringing you what matters nationwide.