LaGuardia Crash: Controller Distracted Before Fatal Collision?

An investigation into the fatal March 22 collision between an Air Canada jet and a LaGuardia Airport fire truck is focusing on whether an air traffic controller was distracted by an emergency phone call. Sources suggest that taking a landline call, prompted by a United flight reporting a strange odor, might have required a controller to leave their post. This occurred during a late-night shift with only two controllers on duty. The emergency call led to six fire trucks being dispatched, but the leading truck's driver allegedly missed controller instructions to stop as the Air Canada jet crossed their path. Audio revealed a controller's panicked "stop, stop, stop!" just before the impact. The crash killed Air Canada pilots MacKenzie Gunther, 30, and Antoine Forest, 24, and hospitalized 40 others, including flight attendant Solange Tremblay, who was thrown over 330 feet from the aircraft but survived. Investigators are also examining potential issues with fire truck positioning, communication malfunctions, heavy rainfall, and whether the lead truck failed to brake at a stop line or had its instructions "bleeped out" by the driver pressing the microphone key. The NTSB is reconstructing the driver's line of sight to determine if visibility was obstructed.