This afternoon, ground stops were issued for Washington-Dulles, Reagan National, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and Richmond International Airport, initially due to “equipment shortages.” Yet, that seemed a bit odd that it would strike all these airports at the same time, no? Well, we know the real reason: there’s a strong odor emanating from the Potomac TRACON facility, which controls all DC airspace. It’s located in Warrenton, Virginia (via Fox 5 DC):
🚨BREAKING🚨 GROUND STOP CURRENTLY AT THE FOLLOWING AIRPORTS:
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 13, 2026
⚠️ Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
⚠️ Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
⚠️ Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)⁰⚠️ Richmond International Airport (RIC)@FAANews is working to…
The FAA has clarified that the stops are due to a "strong chemical smell" impacting the local air traffic control facility.
The ground stop was issued Friday afternoon and appears to be in effect until at least 7 p.m.
What they're saying:
The FAA issued a statement Friday afternoon. They say the ground stop is due to a strong chemical smell at the Potomac TRACON.
"The FAA has temporarily stopped traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) because of a strong chemical smell at the Potomac TRACON that is impacting some air traffic controllers. Monitor fly.faa.gov for real-time updates," The statement reads.
Dig deeper:
According to the FAA, the Potomac Consolidated Terminal RADAR Approach Control (TRACON) PCT provides air traffic control service to the Baltimore-Washington and the Richmond-Charlottesville areas.
They control the airspace over Joint Base Andrews, BWI, Reagan, Dulles, Richmond and many other area airports.
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It has since been lifted. The odor was from a circuit board that overheated.
UPDATE: The ground stop is over and operations have resumed.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 14, 2026
Firefighters from Fauquier County and Prince William County confirm there is no danger to air traffic controllers, and they are returning to the Potomac TRACON. The source of the strong odor was traced to a circuit… https://t.co/6DwPLPw0OE
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