Overview

• Damon Gaines, an air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, has been charged with assault and battery after a March 27 fight in the control tower.
• The FAA has placed Gaines on administrative leave while it conducts an investigation into the incident.
• Sources describe the altercation as a 'bloody physical fight' involving punches and drawing blood, with tensions reportedly linked to the January 2025 midair collision.
• The January 29 crash between an American Airlines jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter killed 67 people and remains under investigation by the NTSB.
• Critics have raised concerns about air traffic control practices, noting that only one controller was managing both aircraft and helicopter traffic at the time of the crash despite sufficient staffing.