Dulles Tower Evacuated After Fumes Invade | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Thu, May 10, 2007

Dulles Tower Evacuated After Fumes Invade

Controllers Move To Backup Facility To Avoid Gas

Firefighters ordered air traffic controllers to evacuate the Dulles International Airport tower Wednesday, after fumes from a nearby worksite permeated the building.

The fumes were reported about 10 am local time, and firefighters ordered the tower cleared, airport spokesman Robert Yingling told the Associated Press. He said the fumes were coming from a work site at the airport's main terminal.

"People in the tower started to feel ill because of a strong smell of fumes," Kieron Heflin, president of the Dulles Tower National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told CBS Radio.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a contractor was welding in the terminal area next to the tower but didn't have authorization to do so, according to the Associated Press. There's a "possibility that fumes from nearby welding went up an elevator shaft into the tower," FAA spokesman Les Dorr said.

Controllers have since shifted to a backup facility. Six people were overcome and were evaluated by paramedics, with four transported to a local hospital for treatment.

No flights were affected, he said, and the tower was being ventilated.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the controllers were moved to the IAD ground control tower -- normally used to coordinate aircraft at the gates.

Both towers have the same capabilities, though the backup tower has fewer work positions, Brown said.

Heflin disagreed, saying the ground control facility doesn't contain all the equipment used for handling planes in the air... including wind indicators and ground radar displays.

"We really have no procedures for working out of the ramp tower," he said.

FMI: www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/, www.natca.org/

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC