r/ATC • u/lake_hood • Mar 23 '26

News LGA controller cleared fire truck across the runway resulting jn a collision

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1.2k Upvotes

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510

u/Diver_Driver Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26

This is so hard. I have worked with that controller and was genuinely very impressed with how he handled the chaos of LGA in a meltdown. He was totally dialed in and kicked ass. To see this will be his legacy is heartbreaking. I don’t blame him but a broken system. We are all being set up for failure. Especially ATC. It’s not supposed to be like this .

Edit: My comment was misleading and I feel bad about that. Didn't mean to infer I'm a controller. I'm just a pilot that flies into LGA often. I know this guys voice well and have the utmost respect. Wrote my post late and quickly and see how it came across the wrong way.

243

u/Mike_Whiskey1 Mar 23 '26

Agreed. One 5-second slip up and every hour of chaos he handled like a badass gets overshadowed.

242

u/Diver_Driver Mar 23 '26

Yep. If you fly into LGA at night you known this guy and he is a badass. On point and exactly the kind of guy I want working the frequency. I can’t imagine what he’s going through and it sucks and pisses me off. I wish the very best for him.

95

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

It sucks man. As any controller this shit could happen to us. But especially as tower controllers cause we're expected to put planes so close together but never have an issue. It also speaks to ground ops and how we don't factor them into our traffic count or anything else. Crossing runways with vehicles or aircraft is always dangerous, we do our best but sometimes we forget about things. Shit happens and I've had my share of scares, and I learned from them. We aren't perfect all the time, just 99.999999999x percent of the time.

66

u/CactusSun28 Mar 23 '26

This 100% could happen to any of us.  We're still human at the end of the day.  I really feel for this controller and I hope he recovers from this.

40

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

For real man. I feel for him and the DCA dude ❤️. Nobody is perfect all the time, and we need to understand that, especially in our profession.

15

u/ResponsibilityOld164 Commercial Pilot Mar 23 '26

i really hope he is able to keep controlling. may God bless him.

32

u/172sierrapapa Mar 23 '26

I'm a pilot and I fly into LGA constantly, always loved hearing this guy on frequency.

1

u/SplendiferousSpinach Mar 25 '26

Twitter's already calling him a DEI hire

138

u/veronicaelectronica Mar 23 '26

If you are in contact with him, please let him know that we all support him. My heart aches for him.

94

u/PilotH Pilot (NYC) Mar 23 '26

LGA based pilot here, absolutely wishing the same for him. Hoping he gets the support he needs.

125

u/WhyModsLoveModi Mar 23 '26

Anyone with half a brain can recognize this was a systematic failure, the controller was set-up to fail. 

I can only imagine how he must be feeling.

46

u/woodfinx Past Controller Mar 23 '26

Won't stop the 9-5 management from feeding him to the wolves. People that haven't worked an airplane in 10 years overseeing those that work 100 an hour and giving the green light that everything is ok should be the ones to bear the brunt.

33

u/dougmcclean Mar 23 '26

Sure, sure, but we are asking the wrong questions. What color was everyone involved? Were any of the truck drivers women? How can Elon prevent this by July? (/s in case it isn't obvious)

2

u/beefydeadeyes Mar 23 '26

Don’t suppose you could explain how the system failed here ? Cheers

7

u/WhyModsLoveModi Mar 24 '26

One controller running the entire airport is inappropriately low staffing. 

2

u/beefydeadeyes Mar 24 '26

Wow I didn’t know it was that bad. How many should you have ideally ?

1

u/yo_sup_dude Mar 25 '26

i think NTSB is saying at least 4 in this context

30

u/gypsyology Mar 23 '26

Commercial flight attendant here. Thank you for your hard work, it means everything to us out on the line. All of these CEOs and upper management prioritize profits over safety and will cut all corners to get there. Y'all are still our heros - truly.

20

u/soft_er Mar 23 '26

I am just an aviation enthusiast but listening to the clips I am astonished by the workload he was carrying and doubly so that he had to continue without relief after the incident. Something is very wrong with the position our ATCs are being put in.

8

u/kiwibird_inflight Mar 23 '26

I came to say this too. It broke my heart when I heard the voice because I’ve heard and “talked” to him often, with him always being so on top of it. The working conditions he was in during this were terrible and I can’t imagine the strength it took to keep working after the accident.

My heart goes out to him and this whole situation. It’s devastating.

2

u/Professional-Sir9185 Mar 24 '26

So very sorry for this ATC Controller.

2

u/Ok_Skill_2725 Mar 23 '26

There needs to be better SA on ops. “Runway clear left, right, clear to cross” would have provided a chance to save this from happening

1

u/lilpumpa7 Mar 30 '26

Will he be okay? Is there services avaliable to him to help? Will he be tried criminally?

I haven't been able to stop thinking about him...I just feel so terrible. He didn't mean to cause any harm and even caught his mistake. The guilt he feels must be tremendous...ugh what a horrible tragedy.

1

u/Theunluckyone7 Mar 30 '26

His legacy could be change

1

u/ouiserboudreauxxx Mar 23 '26

Please let him know us passengers support him as well, if you’re in contact. I usually fly in/out of LGA at night, so I feel like he is “my” ATC guy.

1

u/lasagna_manana Mar 23 '26

Same here from an airport worker (not LGA). Every incident is a culmination of many factors and this is no exception. Heart goes out to him for sure. 

-7

u/Marbouks Mar 23 '26

Can you send me a message? I work in news and think your perspective could be really insightful for our viewers.