What Happened Last Night at LaGuardia. There is a lot we don’t know about the tragic collision last night. But we already know enough to be very concerned. by James Fallows, Mar 23, 2026, Breaking the News
A brilliant but heartbreaking and enraging read
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–The controllers.
You’ll hear a number of voices, including managers at LGA trying to find an empty gate for the distressed United flight; “approach” controllers handling planes that are being told to go around; and what I think are two or more distinct voices in the LGA control tower.
But mostly you will hear one LGA controller, who is handling many different jobs at once.
–The incredible juggling act.
Through most of the recordings, this one LGA controller appears to be doing many jobs. He is working both “Tower” and “Ground” frequencies late at night at a busy airport. Which means, listening to two separate radio frequencies at the same time, and broadcasting on them in turn. On the tower frequency, he is clearing planes for takeoff and landing, and is in charge of them while they’re on the runways. On ground, he tells pilots where to taxi, and what runways or taxiways they may cross.
The same controller is also talking on a land line with other LGA officials. He is dealing with the crew in the fire truck. This means that he is, as a partial list, simultaneously in charge of:
(a) the normal, busy inbound/outbound traffic at LGA;
(b) the United 2384 crew that has a sudden problem to solve;
(c) the airport officials trying to find a place for United passengers to disembark;
(d) the team in the lead fire truck;
(e) Frontier flight 4195 as it taxis for departure;
(f) inbound Jazz 646 as it prepares to land; and
(g) other stuff we probably can’t see or hear.
Controllers excel in multi-tasking. But even for a busy airport this is extreme. Imagine doing this yourself. With such high stakes.
–The crucial moment.
The controller, in his “ground” role, clears Truck 1 to cross Runway 4, on taxiway Delta, to go help the United flight.
In his “tower” role, he clears Jazz 646 to land on that same runway.
Then, back in “ground” role, he tells Frontier 4195 to “stop” as it is heading toward this same taxiway Delta/Runway 4 intersection, presumably until the inbound flight has landed and the lead fire truck has cleared.
At the last minute, he sees what is happening. He yells “Stop! Stop!” initially addressing this to the Frontier flight. Then he starts staying “Truck 1, Stop! Stop! Stop!” And by that point it is too late.
Watch, again, the VASAviation video with that in mind. Or the one below, from Pilot Blog. I recommend starting this second one at about time 2:30. It goes in detail into possible mis-communication issues, especially why the fire truck crew might not have realized that the urgent STOP!!! was meant for them.
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Critical Rationalist @noncynic.bsky.social, Feb 18, 2025:
I’m a pilot. The FAA’s safety practices are superb, the result of decades of cooperation w/the aviation community.
Musk’s idiots don’t realize that government isn’t a business. By indiscriminately slashing the FAA’s staff, they aren’t going to make it more efficient.
They are going to kill people.
@swalkthewalk.bsky.social:
I feel sympathy for all involved: the pilots and their families, the firemen, but also for the lone controller who was put in a nearly impossible position and will carry a terrible burden. I am so sick of the conservative culture that says there is always ”pork” to be cut from needed protections.I feel same, especially infuriating because the rich fuckers that are taking the money from DOGE wiping out crucial jobs are putting more money into their own pockets. They are fucking too rich already, never mind DOGE getting every American’s private personal information to abuse at any whim, and make more money off of.
@brenttoderian.bsky.social:
MAKE SURE that this is the conversation. It’s the reason this horrible thing happened. It’s the ONLY reason. Everything else is a distraction.
@johnpfaff.bsky.social:
There was ONE ATC in the tower at LGA during last night’s crash.
ONE ATC, at LGA!, dealing w ALL air and ground traffic, including a plane filling w a strange smell and no gate to return to.
The Pentagon wants $200B for a vanity war, but our ATC towers are empty.
Budgets are moral documents.
I wish that Pentagon request would silence any sort of “we can’t afford …” (I know it won’t.)
If we can find $200B to sooth the ego of sundowning narcissist, we can afford to fund ANYTHING. Including air traffic control.
EVERY aspect of degraded service we see is a CHOICE.
@lippoenen.bsky.social:
Stable genius.
“at 12:03 PM, President Trump told reporters he wanted a ceasefire with Iran. At 12:05 he declared victory. At 12:07 he announced he was sending Marines. At 12:08 he said no boots on the ground. At 12:11 he said he did not want a ceasefire. At 12:16 he declared victory again…..”
@hondolgm.bsky.social:
Foreign airlines should not enter US airspace until we decide to fix this
Trump doesn’t care how many he murders to feed his idiocy, greed and ego, think he cares about people dying at American airports? Rich fuckers, including heartless Carney fly private.
@amirattaran.bsky.social:
Oh Canada, this is fucking pathetic.
A plane crashed, people died, and Parliament’s top issue is whether the CEO can speak French? Frankly, I’d rather discuss safety, in any language.
christian Carney is fine with the carnage; AOK by his rotten religious soul so he pimps out distraction, serving Trump. Getting Canadians to fight among themselves over little things, keeps focus off the horrors of Trump’s greed (and having to pay Musk back for buying the election for him) killing our pilots, injuring many others and destroying a Canadian plane.
@karlykingsley.bsky.social:
Btw, the names of the two DOGE staffers who were deposed and are on camera casually saying that reducing a deficit was more important than human lives, even though DOGE actually helped increase that deficit, are Justin Fox and Nate Cavanaugh. We’re not saying their names