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Federal investigators have raised serious concerns about staffing practices at LaGuardia Airport, revealing that two air traffic controllers on duty when an Air Canada plane crashed into a fire truck were between them carrying out the work of several people.

The National Transportation Safety Board's chair Jennifer Homendy disclosed the findings at a Tuesday press conference, saying at least one of the two controllers in the tower was performing multiple roles simultaneously when the crash occurred on Sunday night, killing both pilots.

Homendy was careful to focus on systemic failings rather than individual blame.

"I would caution pointing fingers at controllers and saying distraction was involved. This is a heavy workload environment," she reportedly said.

According to reports, she acknowledged it was common practice during overnight shifts for a reduced number of controllers to absorb multiple duties - but said LaGuardia's exceptionally busy airspace made her question whether the approach was appropriate there.

"That's certainly something we will look at as part of this investigation: Would that make sense? Why would that make sense at LaGuardia?" she said.

The tower's two-person crew had divided responsibilities that extended well beyond what those roles typically demand, news site npr.org reported. One handled runway traffic and the patch of sky directly above the airport, while the other, nominally in overall command of safety, had taken on additional duties as clearance delivery controller - the post responsible for authorising aircraft to push back and depart, stated the report.

It remains unclear from the evidence gathered so far whether it was the runway controller or the overall safety commander who had also absorbed the ground controller's function - keeping tabs on vehicles moving across the taxiways.

"Certainly I can tell you that our air traffic control team has stated this is a concern for them for years," Homendy said.

Homendy reportedly stopped short of suggesting tiredness played a role in Sunday's crash, but she emphasised the NTSB has a long track record of raising the alarm about fatigue on the midnight shift.

"The midnight shift, as a reminder, is one that we have, many times at the NTSB, raised concerns about, with respect to fatigue," Homendy told reporters. "We have no indication that was a factor here but it is a shift that we have been focused on in past investigations."

On Monday, the Express reported on how the final moments before the collision were captured in recordings from the control tower. A controller is heard clearing a vehicle - identified as truck one - to cross the fourth runway, before almost immediately reversing the instruction. The composure in the first transmission dissolves completely in what follows, the controller's voice rising to a shout as the situation unravelled.

"Stop, stop, stop, truck one, stop," the controller cried out.

The human cost of the collision was made vivid by the account of one survivor's family. A Jazz Aviation flight attendant working the CRJ-900 was thrown clear of the wreckage - landing more than 300 feet from the point of impact, still strapped into her seat.

Solange Tremblay, originally from Quebec, was one of nine passengers and crew hospitalised in the aftermath. Her daughter described her mother's survival to TVA News as nothing short of miraculous, confirming she had broken multiple bones but was stable.