Latest news with #DamonGaines
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
FAA announces new staffing measures for Reagan National after midair collision
The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday announced a series of new staffing measures for Reagan National Airport, including increasing support for its air traffic controller team, in response to the January midair collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people. Following recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board last month to address safety risks at Reagan National, the FAA said it is evaluating current aircraft arrival rates at the Washington, D.C., area airport. The FAA said it found DCA's arrival rate, a measure of the number of aircraft that arrive per hour, to be "disproportionately concentrated within the last 30 minutes of each hour." The agency is also sending a critical incident stress management team this month to "support the well-being of controllers." The CISM team will be offering "confidential support for staff following stressful events," the FAA said. The FAA said it will also conduct regular wellness checks at the facility, increase supervisor staffing from six personnel to eight, and review the airport's certified professional controller staffing numbers. According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Washington Reagan's main runway is the busiest in the U.S., with more than 800 daily takeoffs and landings. The new safety measures come about a week after a fight broke out between employees inside the air traffic control tower. Police said they were called to the DCA tower on March 27 because of the fight. Officers arrested 39-year-old Damon Gaines of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police. He is facing charges of assault and battery. Government payroll records online identified Gaines as an air traffic controller. He is on administrative leave while the matter is investigated, the FAA said, and Gaines did not respond to CBS News' request for comment. On the same day as the fight, Chris Rocheleau, the acting head of the FAA testified before senators that "something was missed" as he explained what led to the Jan. 29 midair collision, the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001. And on the afternoon of March 28, there was a close call between a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Minneapolis which had just taken off from Reagan National, and an Air Force jet. Both aircraft continued to their destinations. The FAA is investigating the incident. Authors of "Autism Out Loud" on motherhood, diagnosis and growth on the spectrum Democratic-backed candidate wins record-breaking Wisconsin Supreme Court seat Biggest takeaways from Trump's tariff announcement
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested after fight in air traffic control tower at DC airport
A man has been charged with assault and battery following a fight in the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The scuffle occurred at the troubled travel hub on March 27, airport police confirmed Tuesday to CBS News. The incident was described as a fight between employees, but no additional information about the circumstances that led to the altercation was given. Air traffic controller Damon Gaines, 39, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The D.C. airport has been the sight of several crashes and near-misses in 2025, including a January midair collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people. On Friday, warning bells went off in the cockpit of a Delta Airlines plane when it came dangerously close to an Air Force jet. On Saturday, a kite struck a United plane on its approach to land. __________
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Reported fight in control tower at Reagan airport investigated, man arrested
The FAA confirms it is investigating reports of a fight between employees inside the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport, or DCA, last week. Police say they were called to the DCA tower outside Washington, D.C., on Thursday because of a fight. Officers arrested 39-year-old Damon Gaines of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police. He is facing charges of assault and battery. Government payroll records online identify Gaines as an air traffic controller. He is on administrative leave while the matter is investigated, the FAA said. CBS News has tried to contact Gaines for comment. The union representing air traffic controllers who are typically the people working inside the Reagan control tower declined to comment. It is unclear what prompted the reported altercation, which comes as the situation at the DCA tower has been increasingly tense since a mid-air air collision in January killed 67 people in the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001. It also comes after a Delta Air Lines flight departing Reagan airport experienced a close call with an Air Force jet after taking off on Friday. After the deadly January crash between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight, the National Transportation Safety Board made a number of recommendations to address a "serious safety risk" at Reagan airport, including banning helicopter operations along the route near the airport when runways 15 and 33 are in use. Freed Israeli hostages call for end to war, to bring remaining Gaza hostages home Ex-Trump intelligence official: "Nothing" shared was "appropriate" for Signal group chat Poll finds most American think Trump not focusing enough on loweirng prices
