U.S. flight delays pegged to FAA computer woes

Updated at 3 p.m. PDT with details from the FAA.

Hundreds of flights were delayed in cities across the country Tuesday because of a computer failure in the Federal Aviation Administration's system for processing flight plans.

A representative from the FAA said a software problem in the administration's central system for processing flight plans, based in an Atlanta office, caused the system to go down at about 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. That failure prompted a backup system in Salt Lake City to take over flight-plan processing, but a backlog in the handover caused flight delays instead, according to FAA officials.

"There were about 5,000 flight plans in the system, but a lot of them were airborne and unaffected," said Hank Krakowski, chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization. "The only flights that were affected were those that had already pushed off from the gates and couldn't get off the ground. It created a backlog."

The FAA said it expects the problem to be fixed by about 6:30 p.m. EDT.

The problem largely hit cities in the Midwest and on the East Coast, but the FAA was unable to be specific about how many airports or flights were affected. Those airports hit hardest by delays were in Boston, Atlanta, and the Washington, D.C. area. Washington National was still experiencing delays as of 6 p.m. EDT. Chicago O'Hare had experienced 60- to 80-minute delays throughout the afternoon. And Atlanta had as many as 40 aircraft backed up during the afternoon, according to FAA officials.

To put the software trouble in perspective, a bad day of thunderstorms might cause more flight delays than those experienced on Tuesday. But the FAA's computer issues likely had a larger geographical affect, officials said. Part of the work in diagnosing the computer failure will be in understanding why some airports were more affected than others, officials said.

"There were so many aircraft and flight plans...it overwhelmed the system. It rejected plans and increased delays, and added to the volume, so we're managing our way out of it," Krakowski said.

At the heart of the problem was the FAA's computer system known as NADIN, or National Data Interchange Network, which processes the flight plans that airlines file every day. The FAA always runs a parallel system in the event of a software glitch, but officials said that they had never encountered the challenge they had Tuesday.

"This was a failure mode we've not seen before.," Krakowski said, without describing the problem exactly. He added that the agency did not suspect any hacking or safety issues.

"It looks like an internal software processing error. We think we know what it is, but we have to do forensics on it to figure it out," he said.

By the end of this year, the FAA plans to upgrade the NADIN software. Representatives did not say how the software will improve on the current system, however.

[MaggieRed]

Wait, this can't be... the U.S. government doing something wrong and inefficient.

[BillBrasky3000]

@ Maggie

The FAA is actually doing a pretty good job here. Lighting probably took out communications at the Atlanta Center, but the system was designed with redundancy and Salt Lake City took over. Sure there were some delays, but things kept moving. They'll probably have it back up within the hour.

Far be it from me to defend the government, but you lazily criticize without offering any real ideas or intelligent points. So typically cynical.

[n3td3v]

What happens if Salt Lake City gets hit by lightening as well???

[faahope]

If Salt Lake City goes ATC Zero the FAA is SOL.

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "A representative from the FAA said a software problem in the administration's central system for processing flight plans, based in an Atlanta office, caused the system to go down at about 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. That failure prompted a backup system in Salt Lake City to take over flight-plan processing, but a backlog in the handover caused flight delays instead, according to FAA officials...." How about having Plan "C"...(a number 2 backup/a secondary redundancy/backup in place) just in case there was was a failure with the backup (Plan "B") system was experienced; and, that is - if one is not already in place. ;-)

[jtormey3]

FAA has been failing badly and continuously at least since Bobby Sturgell started working there as a protected legacy case in 2003. A few days ago FAA purposefully crashed its own NADIN (National Airspace Data Interchange Network) computer system, to suppress flight plans, lack of them, and other FAA electronically-documented failures.

FAA also crashed its own NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) computer system a few months ago, too, in an effort to suppress dispersal headings and flight plans ? see:
http://ejectsturgell.blogspot.com/2008/05/newsflash-stroker-ace-bobby-sturgell.html
Friday, May 23, 2008 ? ?Newsflash!: Stroker Ace Bobby Sturgell Crashes NOTAM Before The Other Feds Get To It!?

On the heels of at least 3 separate U.S. plane crashes this past weekend - ten (10) perished in Moab Utah, three (3) died in a Las Vegas crash into a house, and a pilot grounded his plane on a baseball field in Texas - what's clear is that FAA's air traffic control system is a total failure. Now FAA is engaging in spoliation of evidence, the electronic equivalent of 'ol-fashioned Fawn Hall shredding, to delete incriminating material one step ahead of FBI and other criminal authorities who are once again on FAA's heels. FAA is a trailer-park criminal enterprise. FAA Acting Administrator "Bobby" Sturgell must be relieved of his post NOW.

Regarding the 10 who died in Moab, Utah this past weekend: We continue to pray for them and their families and continue to mourn their loss. In their memory, this country needs to restore safety to our broken air traffic system. Future lives must be saved by repopulating FAA and ejecting Bobby Sturgell from office.

Quiet Rockland just published a hand-hewn list of over 1,200 FAA e-mail addresses on its website - and asks that you please consider using them for your own purposes:
http://removesturgell.blogspot.com

FAA's e-mail address formula is fairly simple. The 'minds' of FAA management are even simpler. This past weekend, FAA wanted America to "celebrate" FAA's 50th Anniversary as fostering "the safest transportation system in the history of the world". (Verbatim quote, FAA Acting Administrator Robert A. "Bobby" Sturgell, speech entitled "The Credit Goes To You", Washington, D.C., August 21, 2008):
http://www.faa.gov/news/speeches/news_story.cfm?newsID=10274
FAA and failed Acting Administrator 'Bobby' Sturgell still persist in wanting you to believe that we are somehow in the 'safest period in aviation history'. As within the last few days, there are 10 more victimized innocent decedents in Moab, Utah whose souls will now testify exactly otherwise. Anyone who is outraged like me at the continuing criminal malfeasance of the Failed Aviation Agency, may consider voicing that outrage directly to the people that comprise that ersatz federal agency acronymed as FAA, and directly to failed FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell.

[jtormey3]

QR Anguilliforme Newswire/Rockland County, New York - Tuesday October 7, 2008

Sources tell Quiet Rockland that U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Mary Peters is now making preparations to brief the ?new Administrator? of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In a related story, FAA promotes Ruth Leverenz to ?Acting Deputy Administrator? as Internet-listed second-in-command Key Official, in anticipation of Acting Administrator Robert Allan ?Bobby? Sturgell?s departure from FAA office:
http://www.faa.gov/about/key_officials/leverenz/
#

For the full story, please see:
http://www.bobbysturgell.net