FAA moves to fire two controllers who left work before fatal LaGuardia collision, sources say

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it is actively discussing these allegations with FAA leadership, declining to comment further. The FAA said it "is committed to holding employees accountable, and we will not compromise the safety or efficiency of the National Airspace System."

Officials told Reuters the two FAA employees were supposed to be on duty when the accident occurred but had left the facility.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Thursday most controllers do a good job. "But when a small percentage of individuals take advantage of the American taxpayer, unfairly add additional work to their fellow controllers, and impact the airspace -- we have no choice but to act," Duffy said. "We will not tolerate fraud, and we are taking appropriate action to hold folks accountable and prevent unlawful practices from disrupting the traveling public."

Several controllers interviewed by Reuters described the workload that night as busy and said other controllers would typically be brought in or stay on past their normal shift end time to manage the heavier-than-scheduled number of flights.