Latest news with #MetropolitanWashingtonAirportsAuthority
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
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Air traffic control room fight at Reagan National Airport leads to arrest
A fight in the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport, or DCA, in the Washington, D.C., area led to an employee being arrested and charged with assault. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a statement to ABC News that police arrested Damon Marsalis Gaines last week after reports of a fight breaking out in the airport's control tower. Gaines, 40, was ultimately charged with assault and battery, officials said. MORE: DC plane crash: A timeline of the deadly collision The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that Gaines was put on administrative leave while the agency investigates the incident. Further details about what led to the fight have yet to be released. MORE: Pilots warned of safety concerns at Reagan National Airport for decades The arrest at DCA comes months after the deadly mid-air collision between a regional jet and an Army Blackhawk Helicopter that left 70 dead. Sixty-seven people were on the American Airlines plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas on Jan. 29 and three Army soldiers were aboard the helicopter, which was on a training flight at the time, officials said. ABC News' Clara McMichael contributed to this report. Air traffic control room fight at Reagan National Airport leads to arrest originally appeared on
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Air traffic control room fight at Reagan National Airport leads to arrest
A fight in the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport, or DCA, in the Washington, D.C., area led to an employee being arrested and charged with assault. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a statement to ABC News that police arrested Damon Marsalis Gaines last week after reports of a fight breaking out in the airport's control tower. Gaines, 40, was ultimately charged with assault and battery, officials said. MORE: DC plane crash: A timeline of the deadly collision The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that Gaines was put on administrative leave while the agency investigates the incident. Further details about what led to the fight have yet to be released. MORE: Pilots warned of safety concerns at Reagan National Airport for decades The arrest at DCA comes months after the deadly mid-air collision between a regional jet and an Army Blackhawk Helicopter that left 70 dead. Sixty-seven people were on the American Airlines plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas on Jan. 29 and three Army soldiers were aboard the helicopter, which was on a training flight at the time, officials said. ABC News' Clara McMichael contributed to this report. Air traffic control room fight at Reagan National Airport leads to arrest originally appeared on
New York Times
01-04-2025
- New York Times
Air Traffic Controller Arrested in Incident at Reagan National Tower
An air traffic controller was arrested on Thursday night after an incident in the control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport, the police said in a statement. The controller, Damon Marsalis Gaines, 39, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was charged with assault and battery, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which runs National Airport and Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The authority, which has its own police force, did not disclose the details of what led to Mr. Gaines's arrest. No injuries were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration, which manages air traffic operations at the airport, said in a statement that 'the employee is on administrative leave while we investigate the matter.' The F.A.A. declined to comment on the events that led to the episode. It was not immediately clear whether the incident disrupted flight operations. Mr. Gaines did not respond to a request for comment. The arrest comes as flight operations at National Airport have fallen under harsh scrutiny since American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people on both aircraft. The F.A.A. imposed new safety measures after the crash, including permanently closing a helicopter route near National Airport linked to the collision. Despite the agency's efforts, aviation safety continues to be a concern at the airport. On Friday, air traffic controllers had to separate a departing Delta flight and four Air Force jets after they flew too close to one another, setting off a traffic collision avoidance alert in the passenger plane. The National Transportation Safety Board and F.A.A. are investigating the episode.
USA Today
31-03-2025
- USA Today
Kite strikes United Airlines plane as it was approaching Reagan National runway in metro DC
Kite strikes United Airlines plane as it was approaching Reagan National runway in metro DC Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says that kite-flying is not allowed at Gravelly Point in Arlington, Virginia, as it poses a risk to planes landing at DCA. Show Caption Hide Caption More than 20 planes have violated airspace near Mar-a-Lago with the latest incidents Two civilian aircraft flew over restricted airspace near President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago recently forcing NORAD to respond. Straight Arrow News A kite struck a United Airlines plane as it was approaching Reagan National Airport in metro Washington, D.C., on Saturday. The airline said in a statement to USA TODAY on Monday that it was "aware of reports that a kite struck UA flight 654 from Houston to Reagan Airport" in Arlington, Virginia. Fortunately, the "aircraft landed safely," and "customers deplaned normally," the airline said, adding that there was no damage to the aircraft. Here's what we know. Kite briefly confiscated from nearby park Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a statement Monday that officers responded to reports of kite-flying on Saturday at Gravelly Point, a National Park Service site in Arlington, Virginia, just a few hundred feet away from the north end of Reagan National's runway. The agency said that kite-flying isn't allowed in the area "due to the danger to low-flying aircraft." The agency's police department patrols Reagan National and Dulles International airports, according to the agency's website. The agency said that responding officers warned "some individuals about flying kites and briefly confiscated a kite." However, the kite was returned to the owner shortly after and no charges were filed. In an audio recording from an air traffic controller was heard referring to the kite, WUSA9 reported. 'You were telling me those details about the kite, whether it was over the park?" the person could be heard saying. "How high was it?' In response, a person, presumably the pilot, responded: 'It was over the park about 100 feet over the ground, it looked like it was right on the flight deck. Those guys were a little bit low." Kite strike happened during nearby kite festival The incident occurred the same day as the Blossom Kite Festival on the National Mall as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, held annually to celebrate the cherry blossom season. It not immediately clear if the kite was part of the festival. However, festival organizers told DC News Now that the kite-flying activity at Gravelly Point had no connection to the event. Saturday's incident comes just two months after an American Airlines plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter above the Potomac River in a deadly crash that killed 67 people. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
