March 23 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration

is investigating whether a problem with a United Airlines

flight distracted an air traffic controller in the

LaGuardia Airport tower at a critical juncture, the New York

Times reported on Monday, citing a person briefed on the matter.

Two pilots died in a runway accident late on Sunday shutting

New York's LaGuardia Airport. The crash between an Air Canada

Express jet and a fire truck injured dozens of

passengers and led to hundreds of flight cancellations.