The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop Friday evening after a telecommunications outage disrupted radar and communications systems at air traffic control facilities across the country.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the problems began around 3:36 p.m., when radar and communications systems experienced instability at air traffic control centers and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities nationwide. Duffy described the system as outdated and explained that its analog telecommunications equipment, including switches and routers, became overloaded with data and began transmitting inconsistent information, prompting officials to shut down the system.
Asked whether officials could rule out a cyberattack or rogue artificial intelligence, DHS Secretary Mullin responded, “There’s nothing completely certain right now. It doesn’t appear that way.” He said that the incident appeared to be mechanically driven, and that investigators were continuing to look into the cause. Mullin also said officials would examine whether the outage had any connection to the FAA’s rollout of a new AI system designed to help identify problems and recommend flight rerouting.
Mullin referenced continuity of government when discussing the Department’s role during the emergency, saying, “This is what the Department of Homeland Security is all about, this is why we were stood up, to have the continuity of government, to bring all the resources together in an emergency like this.” He added, “This is exactly what this is, this is a national emergency.”
The ground stop lasted more than four hours and resulted in at least 827 flight diversions and nearly 5,000 cancellations, according to reports. Although the FAA lifted the order Friday night, Duffy warned that returning to normal operations would take time because aircraft and crews had been displaced by the disruption.
