FAA halts flights at DCA, Dulles and BWI after chemical smell

A strong chemical smell at the FAA’s Potomac TRACON facility in Warrenton, Virginia, forced temporary flight stoppages at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Airport, disrupting one of the most tightly linked airspace systems in the country. The ground stop began shortly after 5:30 p.m. Eastern time and showed how quickly a problem at one control center can ripple across the Washington, D.C. region.

The Federal Aviation Administration later said traffic was resuming after controllers returned to the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control facility, which manages airspace over numerous airports in the region. Reported coverage traced the smell to an overheated circuit board in a faulty building monitor that was under repair by a contractor. More than 30 FAA personnel were evaluated for mild symptoms, but no injuries or medical transports were reported.

The stoppage lasted about two hours before being lifted, though delays continued after the ground stop ended. NBC4 Washington reported that between one-quarter and one-third of departing flights at the affected airports were delayed, underscoring how little slack exists when the region’s air traffic system is forced to pause. The FAA says ground stoppages are used when needed to ensure safe operations, and it advises travelers to check with their air carrier for flight-specific delay information.

The incident also highlighted the dependence of DCA, Dulles and BWI on a single operational hub. Potomac TRACON’s reach extends beyond one airport, so a hazard inside the facility can affect departures and arrivals across the capital corridor at once. That limited margin for error matters in a region where even a brief interruption can produce cascading delays and missed connections.

The March 13 disruption was not isolated. Another Washington-area airport traffic stop on March 27 was again tied to a smell at the FAA facility, reinforcing how vulnerable the corridor remains to problems at the same operations center. With DCA, IAD and BWI all tied into the same control structure, a small safety concern can become a regional aviation problem within minutes.