00:16It's troubling that we had an aircraft hit a fire truck. I mean, that's troubling.
00:22U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Monday that New York's LaGuardia Airport would
00:28operate on reduced capacity for, quote, some time after two pilots died in a runway accident
00:34that temporarily shut down the airport. The Sunday night collision between an Air Canada
00:40Express jet and a fire truck injured dozens, including two Port Authority firefighters.
00:46The crash led to nearly 600 canceled flights, more than half of LaGuardia's daily total.
00:52The disruption was seen throughout the airport on Monday, as travelers enduring delays and
00:57cancellations, tried to get comfortable.
01:00Well, it's been chaotic to say the least.
01:03Frustrated, exhausted. We have a baby with us, so it's really hard.
01:09Duffy said the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Canadian crews deployed experts
01:14to investigate the cause of the crash, which typically is the result of multiple factors.
01:20The collision shines a spotlight on the reoccurring issue of air traffic controller staffing shortages,
01:26says aviation expert and professor-in-residence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Daniel Bubb.
01:33It takes a while for our controllers to really become experienced before they're placed into busy airports like LaGuardia.
01:39And so I think it really underscores the importance of ensuring that our current air traffic controllers are rested,
01:47they're not overworked, they're not overly stressed, because many of them have been working six-day shifts,
01:54they've been working longer than their regular shift, and that's where they start getting fatigued,
01:59and that's where mishaps start to occur.
02:01Duffy said that despite it taking over a year to train a controller and place them in a busy facility
02:08like LaGuardia,
02:09the airport is well-staffed.
02:10This airport has a target of 37 controllers at LaGuardia.
02:15We have 33 controllers employed, certified at LaGuardia,
02:22and we have six that are, seven actually, that are in training.
02:25So as our airports go, LaGuardia is a very well-staffed airport.
02:32Aviation safety experts say investigators will look at staffing levels
02:36and the actions of both the controller and truck crew.
02:40Truck one company, cross for Delta.
02:43Minutes before the crash, air traffic control audio captured a fire truck
02:47being cleared to cross the runway where the collision occurred.
02:52Authorities said it was responding to a separate United Airlines aircraft
02:55that reported an issue with odor.
02:58Moments later, a controller can be heard urging the truck to stop.
03:03Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.
03:04U.S. President Donald Trump, who has deployed armed immigration agents
03:09to help with hours-long lines at airports, suggested an error caused the crash.
03:14Terrible.
03:15They made a mistake.
03:18It's a dangerous business.
03:20That's terrible.
03:20The crash jet is the latest disruption for airports and carriers
03:24that have been grappling with a weeks-long budget standoff in Congress
03:28and rising fuel costs amid war in the Middle East.
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