Flight controllers left work early before Air Canada crash that killed two pilots

Two U.S. air traffic controllers allegedly left their posts roughly an hour early at LaGuardia tower, moments before an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck on the runway in March, killing two Canadian pilots and injuring more than 40 people.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association confirmed the allegations Thursday after reports first emerged in U.S. media. The union said it is "actively discussing these allegations with FAA leadership." The Federal Aviation Administration has not directly addressed the accusations but said in an email it is "committed to holding employees accountable."

Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on March 22, an air traffic controller cleared the Air Canada Express plane to land less than two minutes before clearing a fire truck to cross the active runway. The collision killed Ontario pilot MacKenzie Gunther and Quebec pilot Antoine Forest. A preliminary report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board found that system failures and communication issues played a key role in the accident. The controller recognized the danger moments before impact, instructing the truck to stop, but received no reply.

U.S. media reports suggest the FAA is looking to fire the two controllers who left early, which would have left only a pair of colleagues at the tower without backup during a critical period.