FAA employee charged with assault after altercation in air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport

close Video

NTSB calls for urgent changes at Reagan National Airport following January deadline collision

Fox News correspondent Mark Meredith reports on the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation on ‘Special Report’ after multiple aviation disasters mark the first months of 2025.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee working at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) outside of Washington, D.C. was recently charged over a workplace altercation, authorities said.

Upper Marlboro, Maryland, resident Damon Marsalis Gaines, 38, was charged with assault and battery in relation to the incident. POLITICO reported that the suspect works in controller operations.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) confirmed the developments to Fox News Digital, explaining that the incident transpired in a control tower on Thursday.

The FAA also confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital.

DELTA PLANE, AIR FORCE JET NEARLY CRASH IN ‘LOSS OF SEPARATION’ DURING ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY FLYOVER

A flock of birds flies over the control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport on February 3, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“The employee is on administrative leave while we investigate the matter,” an FAA spokesperson said.

It’s unclear what sparked the scuffle.

The incident is one of many newsworthy stories involving DCA air traffic control recently. The airport has faced scrutiny after an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter collided on Jan. 29, killing 67 people.

ALASKA PLANE THAT CRASHED AND LEFT 10 DEAD WAS MORE THAN 1,000 POUNDS OVER THE WEIGHT LIMIT, NTSB FINDS

The air traffic control tower after the American Airlines crash at Reagan National Airport. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

An FAA report later found that the number of staff working at DCA’s air control tower at the time was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”

On Saturday, a United Airlines plane reportedly made contact with a kite while it was attempting to land at DCA, though that event is unrelated to the assault incident.

An FAA employee was arrested and charged with assault after a scuffle in air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Authorities are actively investigating the allegations.  

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can follow her on X at @andreamargs or send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.