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The presence of a strong chemical-type smell within the air traffic control facility at the capital of the United States has resulted in disruptions at three major airports in the area. This includes the major international airport in the area – Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), along with the smaller airports of 
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport(BWI).
However, rather interestingly, this is the second such incident to result in a ground stop at these three airports, within the past two weeks. So what really happened?
Disruptions At The Three Capital Airports
Reports indicate that on Friday evening (March 27), a strong chemical scent was detected at the air traffic facility that manages the airports around the capital of the United States. According to NBC Washington, this resulted in ground stops being issued at the three major airports in the area, which include Washington Dulles Airport, Reagan National Airport, and Washington’s Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Considering the detection of such strong smells (especially if their nature is unknown) results in evacuation, it would have been difficult to control and maintain traffic flow effectively and safely through such a busy area. The ground stop meant that flights could neither depart nor arrive, resulting in significant disruption in traffic flow in and around the area, with reports indicating several flights being diverted. However, it is reported that the ground stop has since been lifted at all three airports, which indicates that the control tower facility is safe to be occupied by staff.
According to the Economic Times, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) issued the ground stop at around 06:30 PM (local time), and the Independent reports that it was lifted within two hours. Flight data from FlightAware indicates that, between the three airports, a total of 56 cancellations and 691 delays were recorded yesterday (24-hour period, not just the evening). Simple Flying has reached out to the airports for further details.
Twice In Two Weeks! What Happened Last Time?
A similar incident was recorded two weeks ago, on March 13, when a strong chemical-smelling odor was reported at the air traffic control facility. In this instance as well, the facility was evacuated, and the FAA issued ground stops at the airports in the Washington area. Upon investgating, it was revealed that the smell was caused by an overheating circuit board.
The affected circuit board was replaced, and operations were able to resume. However, this incident from over two weeks ago lasted for over four hours, which resulted in considerable disruption to the operations at these airports. Despite the issue being fixed, due to the ground stop lasting that long, it took a further three hours for the backlog to be cleared.
While there are no specific reports on the cause behind the strong chemical odor from yesterday’s incident, it is reported that the situation was solved faster than the incident two weeks ago, and the control facility was occupied and operational faster this time around.
Flight Delays: Overheating Circuit Board Causes “Strong Chemical Smell” At Potomac TRACON
The unexpected evacuation of Potomac TRACON due to a strong chemical smell left air traffic controllers and passengers in a state of suspense.
One Facility Impacting Multiple Airports?
It might be a bit strange that a single facility controls movements in and around multiple airports. In the case of the US capital, the facility that was affected is called the Potomac Consolidated TRACON (PCT). According to the FAA, it provides air traffic control services to BWI and the Richmond-Charlottesville area. However, the PCT also controls the airspaces over IAD, DCA, BWI, and a few other airports, including Andrews Air Base and Richmond Airport.
TRACON stands for Terminal Radar Approach Control. These facilities essentially control the lower airspaces within a radius of the facility, and therefore, are in charge of traffic flow in and around all airports within the designated radius. This is particularly useful in places such as the US, where multiple airports or airfields can be found in close proximity to each other.
While TRACONs are helpful in managing traffic and airspaces over multiple airport facilities, as demonstrated by the two incidents over the past two weeks, if a TRACON were to go out of operations (even temporarily), there can be a cascade of operational disruptions felt across all airports and the airspace that falls within the facility’s purview.
