The system that failed is the behind-the-scenes communication network the Federal Aviation Administration uses to track flight times and paths, The New York Times reported.
Without it, The Times reported, airlines were forced to fax flight plans to the FAA, and then air-traffic controllers had to type the flight plans into the FAA computer manually.
Those flight plans usually include hundreds of numbers and letters, as well as the kind of aircraft, place of departure, and precise en route flight plan – checkpoints, altitudes, and more, The Times said.
A bad circuit board was blamed for the glitch, the Los Angeles Times reported. And while federal officials emphasized that passenger safety was never an issue – radars, radios and other critical systems continued to work – the failure raises yet more troubling questions about the FAA’s technology situation.
“The aviation agency’s data processing system has a variety of problems,” The New York Times said. “While it was hailed as a marvel when it was introduced decades ago, much of it is written in obsolete computer language and the agency has been slow to provide updates.”
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta was hit especially hard, with AirTran cancelling 30 flights and Delta Air Lines cancelling 54. Hundreds more were delayed, the Los Angeles newspaper said.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers.
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