2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire

Arson at an air traffic control facility in Aurora, Illinois, USA February 2025 The 2014 Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center fire was an incident in the United States involving arsonhttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/chicago-air-traffic-halted-over-fire-at-faa-facility/ Chicago air traffic halted over fire at FAA facility CBS News 26 September 2014 27 September 2014 at an air traffic control facility in Aurora, Illinoishttp://www.cnn.com/2014/09/26/travel/chicago-ohare-midway-flights-stopped/index.html Man faces charges in FAA facility fire - CNN.com 26 September 2014 CNN 27 September 2014 (also known as "Chicago Center");http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-flights-grounded-at-midway-ohare-as-fire-crews-called-to-radar-facility-20140926-story.html#page=1 FBI: Contract worker set fire at FAA center, tried to kill himself 26 September 2014 chicagotribune.com 27 September 2014 the incident caused close to 2,000 flights to be grounded.https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/09/26/chicago-flights-grounded-after-fire-at-faa-radar-facility/16254133/ Chicago flights grounded after fire at FAA radar facility Aamer Madhani Ben Mutzabaugh William Spain USA TODAY USA Today amp 26 September 2014 27 September 2014 One employee at the facility was treated for smoke inhalation, while 15 to 30 employees were evacuated.http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/chicago-airports-grounded-fire-suburban-air-traffic-control-facility-article-1.1953717 Illinois man charged in fire at Chicago air traffic control center New York Daily News 26 September 2014 27 September 2014 Goldstein, Sasha Brian Howard,https://news.yahoo.com/fire-control-stops-ohare-midway-flights-120948209.html Fire at air-traffic center disrupts 1,800 flights 27 September 2014 Yahoo News 27 September 2014 an employee of Harris Corporation,https://news.yahoo.com/fire-grounds-flights-chicago-snarls-air-traffic-133940698--finance.html Chicago-area air traffic center fire grounds 1,750 flights 26 September 2014 Yahoo News 27 September 2014 was charged in the incident.https://abcnews.go.com/US/chicago-traffic-control-center-fire-stops-flights/story?id=25775192 Contract Employee Charged in Fire That Grounded Chicago Flights ABC News 27 September 2014 He made a guilty plea in federal court in May 2015, and in September of that year received a prison term of 12 1/2 years."Man gets 12 years in prison for air-traffic facility fire". Associated Press. September 11, 2015. Retrieved on March 18, 2024. Timeline On September 26, at approximately 5:20 am, Brian Howard had gained access to the basement of the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) facility in Aurora, Illinois. Using gasoline-soaked rags, he then started a fire near the computer equipment critical to the facility's operations. This led to a loss of radar services and communications used by controllers to direct air traffic in the Chicago region, and thereby causing an evacuation of the building. Howard then attempted suicide, but was stopped by emergency crews at the scene. By 6 am, a ground stop was implemented at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport as an emergency measure to alleviate traffic loads. Aftermath The fire caused substantial damage to the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) system, which allows Chicago Center to digitally share flight data throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). Because of the fire, much of the Chicago traffic that was normally handled by the Center was allocated to nearby Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities; this led to a 200 to 400 percent increase in flights handled by these locations. Because the TRACONs were designed primarily for the lower altitude approach and departure structure of the National Airspace System, the radar and communications capabilities did not extend to the higher altitudes used normally for cruise flight, restricting the remaining flights to lower, less efficient altitudes. Eventually this situation was improved by adjusting radar and communication equipment at the neighboring Centers around Chicago to regain capability. Controllers from Chicago then temporarily relocated to these Centers to aid in traffic control operations until repairs eventually brought the Aurora facility back online on October 13.https://www.flyingmag.com/technique-proficiency-radio-silence-chicago-air-traffic-control-fire/ Radio Silence: The Chicago Air Traffic Control Fire Flying Magazine 29 April 2026 References 41.7827778 -88.3311111 dms title type:landmark_region:US-IL Category:2014 in Chicago Category:Arson in Illinois Category:2014 in aviation Category:2014 fires in the United States Category:Aurora, Illinois Category:Air traffic control in the United States Category:Arson in 2014 Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2014 Category:History of air traffic control Category:September 2014 crimes in the United States Category:Attacks on transport buildings and structures Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Illinois Category:2010s crimes in Illinois