A nationwide ground stop was implemented at 3:44 PM ET on Friday after the FAA cited extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns. The restriction halted takeoffs from airports throughout the country until it was lifted at 8:15 PM ET. However, the lifting of the order did not immediately resolve operational challenges, as airports faced congestion and flight crews encountered mandatory rest limitations, leaving numerous passengers stranded and additional cancellations anticipated.
Transportation Secretary Ryan Duffy attributed the disruption to problems within the nation’s aging air traffic control infrastructure. He noted that Terminal Radar Approach Control systems experienced data inconsistencies stemming from analog telecommunications equipment becoming overloaded with information. Reports indicated that patches applied to the private communications network operated by L3Harris prompted a system reboot and subsequent failure. Duffy acknowledged the inherent risks of maintaining legacy systems, stating that deferring updates introduces greater potential hazards.
The outage affected multiple air traffic control facilities, beginning with the Chicago center before spreading to Boston, Washington, New York, and Minneapolis locations. The disruption impaired both radar and radio communications between controllers and pilots. As of 8:39 PM ET, FlightAware reported approximately 9,124 delayed flights and 5,901 canceled flights across the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that investigators found no evidence of cyberattacks or national security threats. Officials investigated a potential connection to the SMART airspace management system that became operational nationwide on November 10th. Air Space Intelligence, the company that designed the system under a 12-year, $875 million contract awarded in June, denied any involvement. The ground stop represented the first nationwide aviation disruption of this magnitude since a similar event in 2023, which lasted approximately 90 minutes.
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