NTSB chair: 'It's gonna take some time' before LaGuardia runway reopens

National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy could not say Monday evening how long the LaGuardia Airport runway where a fatal crash occurred would remain closed.

“It’s gonna take some time…. There is a lot of debris," she told reporters.

Homendy called the crash, which killed the plane's two pilots, a "terrible tragedy."

Questions have been raised about how many air traffic controllers were on duty when the crash occurred. She declined to give specifics but said typically, an air traffic controller is removed from duty and will be interviewed after such an incident.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.