An air traffic controller was juggling extra roles during the LaGuardia plane crash

"I would caution pointing fingers at controllers and saying distraction was involved. This is a heavy workload environment. That's certainly something we will look at as part of this investigation: Would that make sense? Why would that make sense at LaGuardia?"

"Certainly I can tell you that our air traffic control team has stated this is a concern for them for years. The midnight shift, as a reminder, is one that we have..."

The NTSB is investigating the LaGuardia Airport plane crash that killed two pilots, focusing on staffing procedures. Two air traffic controllers were present, with one handling multiple roles. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized systemic issues over individual failings, questioning the practice of having controllers manage several duties during the midnight shift. The local controller and the controller in charge were both present, with conflicting information on their roles. Concerns about workload and safety in busy airspace have been raised by air traffic control teams for years.

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