Reagan National Airport seen from above (photo courtesy of Flickr.com)

Reagan National And The 2011 Incident You May Have Forgotten

February 1, 2025 8:10 pm

I decided to browse Facebook to find old photos I snapped of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

I was not expecting to find a clue that might tell me more about what MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED there last week, but I did.

For people who have never been to Washington, D.C., the Washington Metro Subway connects directly to Reagan National. The Metro, as it’s commonly called, will take people downtown, to the National Mall, further south to Arlington or Alexandria, Va., or even as far north as Baltimore.

People who fly in have no need to rent a car or take Uber to get to their destination, and, given D.C. traffic, that’s probably all the better.

As you wait outside for your subway car to arrive, you get a pretty good view of the Reagan National control tower, which I photographed.

But I digress.

Here’s the caption I wrote, on March 28, 2011:

“This is the control tower where the operator fell asleep last week.”

And then a nearly 15-year-old memory came flooding back. Wasn’t that a story that made national headlines?

I Googled the story to see if 2011 me had my facts straight.

Yes…at the time, it did make national headlines.

As ABC News reported on March 24 of that year, “an air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport fell asleep on duty early Wednesday morning, leaving the control tower silent and forcing pilots of two commercial planes to land on their own.”

The controller reportedly had 20 years of experience at the time, including 17 at Reagan National, and was suspended for an undisclosed period.

“While Reagan National is staffed with multiple air traffic controllers during the day, the overnight shift is managed by just one controller because there are no departures overnight and few arrivals,” ABC News reported at the time.

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The website Simpleflying.com, in a story from last June, cited the 2011 incident and said fatigue played a role, adding “it was the controller’s fourth consecutive overnight shift.”

Other websites document air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job at airports in Knoxville, Tenn; Los Angeles, Calif; Fort Worth, Texas; Reno, Nev., Boise, Idaho; and Lexington, Ky.

I’ll reserve judgment on what caused the crash at Reagan that killed nearly 70 people last week, at least not until additional details come out.

But whatever is going on with these air traffic controllers, whether they are overworked, underpaid, distracted, or under the influence of a mind-altering substance, this needs correcting…and fast.

Otherwise, more and more people will lose faith in the airline industry. Fewer people will fly. That will put a big dent in our national economy. Hopefully, for the sake of revivalism, President Donald Trump acts soon.

Special thanks to Warhammer’s Wife proofreading this story before publication to make certain there were no misspellings, grammatical errors or other embarrassing mistakes and/or typos. Follow Warhammer on Twitter @Real_Warhammer