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Controller On Leave After Reagan Tower Fisticuffs

Report says controllers’ mental health was affected by recent fatal crash.

Russ Niles

Updated Apr 1, 2025 4:30 AM EDT

 

The FAA has confirmed that one employee at the Washington Reagan Airport tower is no longer working while it investigates an incident in the cab last Thursday. "The employee is on administrative leave while we investigate the matter," the agency said in an email statement to AVweb Monday after rumors swirled about a violent fistfight between two controllers. The Daily Mail first reported the altercation and said the fight ended with blood being splashed on a console in the tower. It's believed the controllers were on duty at the time, but the FAA declined to confirm that and did not elaborate on its single-sentence statement.

According to the Daily Mail, sources described the altercation as a "blazing argument" and said the incident was a direct result of the aftermath of a midair collision between an American Eagle CRJ and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near the airport in January. All 67 people on the two planes were killed and controllers had an unobstructed view of the monthlong recovery effort. The source faulted management for not doing enough to support the mental health of controllers who "had to sit and watch bodies being pulled out of the river."