FAA contractor charged with fire that halted flights
CHICAGO — A 36-year-old FAA contractor was facing federal charges on Friday evening for setting a fire that damaged a key Chicago air traffic control center and ground air travel in one of the busiest travel hubs to a halt.
Brian Howard had left what appeared to be a suicide note on Facebook that a relative saw and alerted police to Friday morning, according to a criminal complaint filed late Friday.
Police were alerted by the relative of Howard, who had worked with the FAA for about eight years, just minutes before he allegedly set the blaze that wrecked havoc on Chicago's two airports.
"Take a hard look in the mirror, I have," Howard posted on his Facebook page. "And this why I'm about to take out ZAU and my life," referring to the three-letter call number for the center.
More than 2,000 flights were grounded nationwide Friday following the fire.
The disruption at the Federal Aviation Administration radar facility hit Chicago's busy O'Hare and Midway airports the hardest, grounding virtually all flights at those airports for several hours.
As of 6:10 p.m. ET, about 1,300 flights had been canceled at O'Hare, a number that's close to half of the airport's daily schedule, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. At Midway, more than 450 flights — nearly 70% of its entire Friday schedule — had been axed. Nearby Milwaukee also suffered from the incident, which caused nearly half of the day's flights there to be canceled.
Given the operating challenges in the region today, Southwest — the nation's largest discounter — decided to cancel its entire schedule Friday at both Chicago Midway and Milwaukee. Southwest is by far the dominant carrier at Midway, one of the busiest airports in the Southwest's nationwide network.
After the most operations were suspended this morning, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said in an email to USA TODAY shortly after noon ET that flights began arriving and departing again in Chicago area, but "at a reduced rate."
Flight schedules at the Chicago airports remained severely disrupted into the evening.
The incident sent delays rippling out across the Midwest -- and across the nation.
Aurora Fire and Police responded to the FAA Air Traffic Control Center at 5:42 a.m. CT for a report of a fire in the basement of the facility. Emergency crews arrived on the scene within three minutes.
Howard was located in the basement suffering from self-inflicted stab wounds. Police say they believe he used some type of accelerant to start the blaze, according to Ferrelli.
The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes of the first call being received. Howard was transported to a local hospital where he is undergoing treatment, authorities said.
He was charged with one felony count of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities. Police say have not yet established a definite motive, adding that no firearms or explosives were recovered from the scene. Law enforcement is searching the man's home in Naperville.
An affidavit was filed toward a criminal complaint against Howard that charges him with "setting fire to, damaging, and destroying an air navigation facility and interfering by force and violence with the operation of such facility."
The affidavit also was made in support of an application for a warrant to search Howard's 2007 GMC Yukon truck.
The affidavit said Howard has worked at the control center for eight years and was recently told he was being transferred to Hawaii. The affidavit said Howard arrived at the FAA Air Traffic Control Center shortly after 5 a.m. on Friday with a hard-sided rolling suitcase. About a half hour later, Howard posted on Facebook, "Take a hard look in the mirror, I have. And this is why I am about to take out ZAU and my life. April, Pop, love you guys and I am sorry. Leaving you with a big mess. Do your best to move on quickly from me please."
A few minutes later, someone in the control center called 911 to say the area was on fire. Paramedics who arrived on the scene found exposed cables, a gas can, blood and knives on the floor as well as a lighter, according to the document. Shortly after, they found Howard with his shirt off.
"Howard was in the process of slicing his throat with another knife. Paramedic A also observed cut wounds on Howard's arms," the document read.
A paramedic took the knife from Howard, the responders treated him and then took him to a hospital, according to the affidavit.
Air traffic controllers at the affected facility handle flights that fly across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Associated Press explains that "the Aurora facility is known as an en-route center, and handles aircraft flying at high altitudes, including those on approach or leaving Chicago's airports. Air traffic closer to the airports is handled by a different facility and by the control towers located at the airfields."
The fire at the Aurora facility forced air traffic controllers at the facility to hand off their air traffic control duties to other air traffic facilities in the region.
Regardless of the cause or motive, the fire created chaos for tens of thousands of fliers -- both in the Midwest and across the nation.
At Chicago O'Hare's Terminal 1, hundreds waited in long lines to re-book flights that were cancelled.
Dejected stranded passengers sat on idle baggage belts. Some stranded passengers took to social media to vent about the airlines moving slowly to retrieve checked bags.
"@AmericanAir why does it take so long to pull bags? so many people waiting and no bags are appearing?" @nicgwit posted on Twitter.
American Airlines responded to USA TODAY from its Twitter account: "We know the team is working hard to sort out baggage issues from the earlier delays."
Allan Simmons, 57, of Chicago, and his fiancée Regina Riddle, 51, said they were informed by United Airlines 5 minutes before their scheduled flight to San Juan was canceled.
The couple was part of a group of 20 family and friends who were flying to Puerto Rico for a seven-day cruise.
"They put us on a flight tomorrow but now we have to fly through Miami instead of direct," Simmons said. "Some of our group is being split up and has to fly all the way to Houston first. We have non-refundable hotel reservations for tonight in San Juan that are going to waste."
Riddle was blunt about her frustration.
"I'm p.o.-ed," she said.
Luane Mach of Venice, Fla., who was traveling with her elderly mother who has cancer, had been stranded at O'Hare. Her 6:50 a.m. flight to Sarasota was canceled but nearly four hours later she was waiting for her and her mother's bags.
"I know it's no one's fault other than that idiot, but it's so frustrating," Mach said.
Across town at Midway, on the city's South Side, runways were empty and the baggage claim area almost deserted Friday afternoon.
Hundreds of people were standing in line at the check-in counters for airlines, notably Southwest.
"It has been bad before but I have never seen it like this," said Patrick Cummins, an engineer trying to get home to Houston after a business trip. "I guess I will just have to spot to hunker down in."
Maureen and Steve Bluth of Orlando also were trapped after their pleasure trip to the Windy City as they tried to get back to Florida.
"We are all vacationed out but it is what it is," she said as they headed off to a nearby hotel. "Sometimes you are the windshield and sometimes you are the bug."
Dave Kregness, an account executive in town on business, was sanguine.
"I am just going to go back downtown, get a hotel room, have a nice dinner and get out in the morning," he said.
While passenger tempers have been known to fray under such circumstances, one Chicago police officer patrolling near the security checkpoint noted that everyone had – at least so far – been well-behaved. He credited unseasonably warm and sunny weather in Chicago on Friday.
Chicago O'Hare is the nation's second-busiest airport, home to hubs for both American and United airlines. Chicago Midway is the 24th-busiest airport (by passengers) in the USA, according to the FAA. Midway is one of the busiest bases for low-cost giant Southwest.
Still, even as flights started to resume at those airports, passengers felt some airlines seemed flat-footed in their response.
"There feels like there was no contingency plans in place. Which is unacceptable, " said George Deszcz, 62, of Naperville, who was en route to Dallas for a family wedding.
Deszcz was one of the lucky ones. United was able to find him and his wife and son an afternoon flight.
His wife Kathy said her brother who booked on American wasn't so lucky. His flight was also canceled and he won't make it to the family gathering until Saturday.
Musab Keelani, 26, found himself stalled in Chicago in the middle of a whirlwind business trip that was supposed to take him from his home in Amman, Jordan, to Pittsburgh and back in the course of four days.
"I'm trying to decide if I should just rent a car but that will cost me more money and it's a long drive," said Keelani, who arrived in Chicago late Thursday night. "But I have to get my work done and be back in Amman by Sunday. I may have no choice."
The iconic Chicago steakhouse, Gibsons, took pity on some of those stranded at O'Hare. Around lunchtime, executive chef Marco DiBenedetto and server Matthew Rine arrived at O 'Hare and handed out hundreds of sliders to passengers waiting in long lines to sort out their travel plans.
"You got to feel for them," Rine said.
Aamer Madhani reported from Chicago and Ben Mutzabaugh from Washington, D.C. Contributing: William Spain from Chicago Midway and Bart Jansen from Washington, D.C.
