FAA investigating after air traffic controllers go silent, reports of "marijuana smell" in tower

BOISE, IDAHO — The FAA says it is investigating after helicopters hoping to land at an Idaho airport had trouble getting a response from the control tower.

Around 230 am on November 19th, helicopters called the Boise FAA air traffic control tower requesting to land... However, they got no response.

Boise police officers went to the tower for a welfare check to make sure everyone was okay.

In all of the reports, police say the men in the tower were fine health wise but were behaving very strangely.

An officer said of one of the tower employees "he appeared to have just woken up" and having " drowsy facial expressions."

Another officer's report says the employee was "smiling and informing us everything was okay."

A third officer says they were "very groggy and sluggish... dazed and confused."

On top of seeming inattentive, police officers describe the tower employees as apathetic to the situation.  One report says, "both of them appeared to be unconcerned."

In fact, one officer's report says the airport operations specialist who went in the tower with the officers told them afterwards that while they were up there "the tower guy was calling out wrong runways and directions."

Every officer's report mentions smelling marijuana at some point in the tower.

The FAA said both employees passed a drug test but they are continuing to investigate.

Cox Media Group