March 13, 2026 — Warrenton, Va. A strong chemical smell at FAA facility causes ground stops and flight delays at BWI, DCA, IAD airports[https://wjla.com/news/local/outage-bwi-dca-iad-airport-equipment-outage-ground-stop-delays-baltimore-washington-dulles-reagan-national-travel-flights-air-traffic-control-technical-faa-passengers], as an overheated circuit board at the Potomac TRACON facility impacted air traffic controllers, prompting ground stops around 5 p.m. ET at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), Reagan National (DCA), Dulles International (IAD) and Richmond International (RIC) airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the ground stops due to the odor affecting controllers at the facility, located about 50 miles west of Washington, D.C. Ground stops lasted until approximately 7-7:45 p.m. ET, with significant delays—up to three hours or more—persisting into the night and affecting 25-33% of departures.[https://wtop.com/local/2026/03/ground-stop-at-3-dc-area-airports-due-to-strong-chemical-smell]
Incident Details
The strong chemical smell at FAA facility causes ground stops and flight delays at BWI, DCA, IAD airports originated from faulty building monitor equipment, specifically an overheated circuit board.[https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/ground-stop-lifted-major-dc-area-airports-chemical-odor-disrupts-air-traffic-control] Over 25 firefighters and hazmat crews from Fauquier and Prince William counties responded. More than 30 FAA workers were evaluated for mild symptoms, but none required hospitalization.[https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/us/airports-ground-stop-dc-baltimore.html]
“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.” — FAA statement
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed via X that ground stops were in effect at DCA, IAD, BWI and RIC due to the odor at Potomac TRACON.[https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/2032582233920307569]
Flight Impacts
At BWI, there were 208 delays and 20 cancellations. Delays reached two hours at BWI and three hours at DCA, with ripple effects expected into March 14.[https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/ground-stop-bwi-baltimorewashington-international-thurgood-marshall-airport-equipment-outage] Passengers reported poor communication from airlines.
“The biggest issue I see is the lack of communication from the airlines… Nobody knows what’s going on.” — Maureen Dewey, passenger at DCA[https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/us/airports-ground-stop-dc-baltimore.html]
Resolution and Official Response
The circuit board was replaced, and firefighters confirmed no danger to personnel. Controllers returned by around 9 p.m., with flights resuming amid residual delays.[https://wjla.com/news/local/outage-bwi-dca-iad-airport-equipment-outage-ground-stop-delays-baltimore-washington-dulles-reagan-national-travel-flights-air-traffic-control-technical-faa-passengers]
“The ground stop is over and operations have resumed… The source of the strong odor was traced to a circuit board that overheated, and it was replaced.” — Secretary Sean Duffy
The strong chemical smell at FAA facility causes ground stops and flight delays at BWI, DCA, IAD airports incident highlights vulnerabilities in air traffic infrastructure, though no injuries were reported. For updates, check fly.faa.gov. Related coverage: Aeronautics Online sitemap.
