Bloody brawl breaks out in Reagan National control tower, site of deadly plane crash

A brawl and a “blood spattered” console were the focus of a new air traffic controller investigation at the same airport where tragedy struck in January.

Within hours of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joining President Donald Trump’s cabinet, the burdens left behind by predecessors former Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former President Joe Biden manifested in a midair collision that took the lives of 67 men, women and children.

The same day as an announcement on efforts to bring in the “best and brightest” to man the towers and keep airspace safe, the Daily Mail reported that two air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport came to blows while on the job.

“By the time the brawling colleagues were separated, there was blood spattered over a control console,” the outlet detailed based on an insider’s report.

“I’ve heard of controllers going at it in the parking lot but this was on a whole new level,” the source had told the Mail. “The facility is out of control. People are cracking because of what happened in January.”

As had been widely covered, on Jan. 29, American Airlines Flight 5342 had collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter as the commercial flight out of Wichita, Kansas, was approaching the runway to land.

Commenting on the tragedy, the insider expressed, “The people working in that tower had to sit and watch bodies being pulled out of the river. There was no way you could not see it,” and argued, “Leadership has not given these people enough support. They never really sent in professionals to make sure these people were okay mentally.”

While the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that an investigation had been opened into the reported fight, Duffy addressed the American Association of Airport Executives’ Washington Legislative Conference the same day and detailed the ongoing effort to streamline the hiring process and upgrade outdated systems with new technology.

“Bringing in the best and brightest air traffic controllers is just the first step. It’s time to bring our air traffic control system into the 21st century by investing in new technologies to make flying even safer, more efficient, and seamless,” the secretary captioned a portion of his keynote speech a month after announcing merit-based prioritization and increased salaries for qualified candidates while shaving months off of the old hiring process.

Bringing in the best and brightest air traffic controllers is just the first step. It’s time to bring our air traffic control system into the 21st century by investing in new technologies to make flying even safer, more efficient, and seamless. pic.twitter.com/Dx3kbz95ly

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 28, 2025

The same day, the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation held a hearing regarding the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into January’s deadly crash.

“Something was missed at the DCA crash,” acting Federal Aviation Administrator Chris Rocheleau said during the hearing as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) had sought answers on why the Black Hawk had not been transmitting location data leading up to the collision. “I returned to the FAA just two months ago and I care about the National Airspace System for safety and the workforce.”

“I’m dedicated to continuing that work, and I will continue to review what I mentioned with respect to the hot spots, working closely with NTSB to learn what happened here and to make sure it never happens again,” added Rocheleau.

As it happened, another FAA investigation had been prompted the following day by a close call involving departing Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 and the arrival of four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons for an Arlington National Cemetery flyover ceremony.

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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