I survived the LaGuardia crash. FAA needs to make real changes. Now.

On March 22, I was a passenger on Air Canada Express Flight 8646 from Montréal to LaGuardia Airport that upon landing crashed into a fire truck that should not have been on the runway, resulting in two deaths, many serious injuries and significant unanswered questions. 

This horrific experience puts me in the unique position to address the impact of air traffic control staffing shortages, the strenuous conditions under which air traffic controllers operate, and documented safety concerns that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has continuously flagged.

That day, I placed significant trust in a system designed to ensure passenger safety. What started as a routine landing quickly turned into a terrifying tragedy that I believed for several moments I would not survive.

About 11:35 p.m., Flight 8646 touched down at LaGuardia, but within seconds, the aircraft jolted forward, crashing and throwing passengers back into their seats as it skidded down the runway before miraculously stopping.

While those moments were finite, the psychological impact remains profound, particularly because I was among the first to exit the plane. I could see the front of the aircraft destroyed and realized our pilots could not have survived.

Air traffic controllers' heavy workload and extended schedules put us all at risk

The working conditions of air traffic controllers are unsustainable and require urgent reform. While the NTSB’s investigation remains ongoing, initial statements from NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy indicate that “many, many things went wrong.”

She also noted that, although two air traffic controllers were present in the tower at the time, preliminary reports suggest that at least one controller was responsible for multiple roles, including possibly both air and ground control. However, Homendy cautioned against “pointing fingers at controllers” due to a “heavy workload environment.” That caution is warranted. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated during a March 23 news conference that LaGuardia’s air traffic control was “well staffed,” noting that while LaGuardia aims to have 37 air traffic controllers, it was staffed at 33 with seven more in training.

Many air traffic controllers have worked under a heavy workload without pay during recent government shutdowns.

These concerns are not new. Air traffic controllers are routinely asked to manage intense workloads under strained conditions, as seen in the 2025 Potomac River midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The incident killed everyone onboard both aircraft, and the NTSB identified “degraded performance due to the high workload” of control positions as a contributing factor.

The National Transportation Safety Board has raised concerns about controller working conditions for decades. In a 2007 safety recommendation letter, the NTSB referenced a 1981 report that noted extended work schedules could lead to controller fatigue and stress, and that subsequent recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration were marked as “Closed ‒ Unacceptable Action” following “several years of no progress.”

The letter further cited four runway incursions between 2001 and 2006 in which overworked and sleep-deprived air traffic controllers forgot critical traffic information, issued conflicting clearances and failed to monitor active runways.

At the time, FAA policies allowed air traffic controllers to work up to 10 consecutive hours with as little as eight hours of rest between shifts. This framework clearly did not adequately account for real-world operational demands.

The FAA's efforts aren't enough to make air travel safe

While the FAA has implemented incremental changes to air traffic control scheduling since 2007, it was not until December 2023 that the agency convened a panel of experts to address working conditions, underscoring the need for action.

In April 2024, the FAA announced plans to extend rest periods for air traffic controllers and expand the workforce, culminating several months later in a labor agreement between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that introduced changes to rest between regular and midnight shifts, limitations on consecutive midnight shifts and plans to hire 1,800 new air traffic controllers.

Yet these measures still fall short of addressing longstanding concerns regarding the conditions under which air traffic controllers operate. Air traffic controllers work in an extraordinarily demanding profession, with each airport presenting unique operational challenges that require constant attention, highlighting the need for adequate staffing and thoughtful scheduling.

For instance, on March 17, an Alaska Airlines 737 and a FedEx 777 came within roughly 300 feet of each other at Newark Liberty International Airport during a landing incident involving timing issues with air traffic control amid a partial government shutdown. Clearly, many factors keep the system under strain.

The FAA’s efforts, while important, come too late to change what has already happened. For years, well-documented safety risks continued without meaningful action, and those risks are no longer theoretical.

From my flight, two pilots are dead and many passengers are seriously injured, and it appears that systemic pressures might have played a role in a tragedy that should never be reduced to individual blame.

The status quo cannot continue. The FAA must act quickly and meaningfully to prevent another tragedy by:

• Revisiting and strengthening its 2024 labor agreement by addressing staffing shortages, workload and whether rest periods between shifts are adequate.
• Swiftly implementing the safety recommendations the NTSB will ultimately issue.

Air traffic controllers are human, working under intense and often unforgiving conditions. Without meaningful support and reform, the consequences can be fatal.

Joseph Capio is an attorney and graduated from New York Law School in 2025, where he served as editor in chief of the NYLS Law Review. The views expressed are his own and do not reflect those of any employer or organization.