The FAA contractor who started a fire at the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center during a suicide attempt last fall will plead guilty to federal charges in June. In court on Thursday, Brian Howard's attorney entered a not guilty plea as a formality that buys time to process a deal with prosecutors, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. A guilty plea planned for June 4 will then give Howard access to mental health treatment in prison.On Sept. 26, 2014, Howard entered the facility in Aurora with gasoline and a knife, cut communication lines, set a fire and cut his throat and wrists. The fire was extinguished less than three hours later, but it disrupted traffic over several states under Chicago Center's coverage and ATC staffers had to relocate temporarily. The FAA has since beefed up contingency plans to better prepare for emergencies.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/man-who-set-fire-at-chicago-center-to-plead-guilty