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Weather, staffing levels among concerns: analyst
Greg Feith, a former senior investigator with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, said that agency will look at a wide range of factors that were at play late Sunday night at LaGuardia Airport, leading to the collision that the Federal Aviation Administration said took place at 11:40 p.m. ET.
Among the main questions, Feith told CBC News, would be whether the traffic controller lost “situational awareness” with the Air Canada flight when he gave the go-ahead for a fire truck to navigate the Runway 4, before frantically telling the truck to “Stop!”
Precisely when the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane had clearance to land — if in fact it received clearance — will also be critical to know, Feith said.
The airport fire trucks are stout vehicles typically painted yellow to enhance visibility, but investigators will also note the weather conditions, as it rained Sunday night in the area.
Air traffic controller staffing levels at LaGuardia in general will likely be assessed, as will the workload and fatigue levels of the individuals on duty at the time. Understaffing of some FAA air traffic control facilities and training programs has been noted in recent years, exacerbated by demographic trends and not-infrequent government shutdowns.
“We have to learn the lessons from these tragedies,” said Feith.
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