Another disturbing incident at Reagan National Airport has sent shockwaves through the aviation community. An air traffic controller was arrested following a workplace altercation in a control tower already under scrutiny after a deadly mid-air collision earlier this year.
At a glance:
• FAA employee Damon Marsalis Gaines was charged with assault and battery following a workplace altercation at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
• The incident occurred in the control tower last Thursday, with police being called to the scene
• Gaines has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation
• This incident follows a deadly mid-air collision at DCA in January that killed 67 people
• The Biden administration implemented a DEI policy for the FAA in January 2024 to hire more individuals with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities
Troubling Pattern at Reagan National
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that employee Damon Marsalis Gaines from Upper Marlboro, Maryland has been charged with assault and battery following an altercation in the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport. The FAA has placed Gaines on administrative leave while officials investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority verified that police responded to a disturbance at the control tower, though the cause of the altercation remains unknown. This workplace incident adds to mounting concerns about operations at the airport, which has experienced multiple safety incidents in recent months.
Safety Concerns Mounting
This latest incident comes on the heels of January’s tragic mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that resulted in 67 fatalities. An FAA report indicated there were staffing issues at the control tower during that incident, describing the situation as “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
“The employee is on administrative leave while we investigate the matter,” a FAA spokesperson stated in response to questions about Gaines’ arrest. The union representing air traffic controllers at Reagan National declined to comment on the disturbance, highlighting the sensitivity surrounding the case.
Recovery efforts have been ongoing, with 55 bodies recovered from the Potomac River as of last month. The January crash marked the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001, creating a tense atmosphere for controllers already working in one of the nation’s most complex airspaces.
