The grounding of all flights and the Federal Aviation Administration’s system failure that occurred in the United States on Wednesday morning was caused by an engineering error.
An engineer “replaced one file with another,” an official told ABC News, not realizing the mistake had been made and ultimately leading to a system error and failure.
The offender’s engineer has yet to be identified.
Engineers and IT teams are working feverishly to ensure the system doesn’t crash again today, while trying to determine if there are similar systems that could fail just as easily.
MIAMI: Passengers were stranded at the airport on Wednesday morning as thousands of delays plagued the country
More than 11,300 flights were delayed or canceled Wednesday in the first national disruption of domestic travel in roughly two decades since Sept. 11
An official told the outlet: “It was a real mistake that cost the country millions.”
The error, which caused American flights to be completely grounded for several hours, occurred during a scheduled routine system maintenance.
Canada’s Air Mission Notification System (NOTAM) was also disrupted on Wednesday. It is unclear whether what happened to America’s northern neighbor is related to the FAA’s system failure.
The FAA is in the process of switching to a new NOTAM system that could completely shut down the system by Wednesday.
However, the outdated system, which is still in operation for the time being, could not stop the disruptions.
The U.S. Notam system struggled to handle an incredible amount of traffic Thursday as pilots and airports resumed regular flight operations as scheduled for the day.
However, the aftermath of the chaos was still being felt as of Thursday, as nearly 600 flights were delayed and nearly 75 canceled by midday.
Zach Griff, senior writer at travel expert The Points Guy, told DailyMail.com
Wednesday that the reason for the ongoing delays through Thursday is that “once the system is back up and running, flights can theoretically resume, but — and here’s the kicker — the airlines can’t just ‘resume’ operations.”
“Many planes were already delayed and misplaced while the flight crews flying those planes were already thrown off schedule.
Flight crews are limited by law to a certain number of hours, and certain planes are already scheduled for flights that are now delayed.
“This domino effect will continue today and likely into Thursday, leading to a flurry of delays and cancellations across the US.
Passengers at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport grounded all flights for several hours Wednesday after a “computer error,” delaying 5,000 flights.
All flights will remain grounded until at least 9 a.m. EST, affecting the 45,000 flights the FAA handles each day
Vice President Cpt. Michael Santoro recalled to Fox Business the last time all US flights were grounded.
“The last time we grounded all the planes was, I hate to say it, but on 9/11,” he said.
“There are no planes moving, so let’s look at it today.”
Midweek’s collapse is the latest worry for US air travelers after a heartbreaking holiday season that saw Southwest Airlines collapse and strand thousands over Christmas and the New Year.
In its first report of the issue Wednesday morning, the FAA said in an alert, “The FAA is working to restore its air traffic notification system.
“We are now doing the final validation checks and refilling the system.
“Operations throughout the National Airspace System have been affected.
“We will provide regular updates as we make progress.”
As of 7:00 a.m., the agency said, “The FAA is still working to fully restore the air dispatch notification system following a malfunction.
“While some functions are coming back online, National Airspace System operations remain limited.”
Just before 7:30 AM, the FAA announced that all flights were suspended until 9:00 AM.
“The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system after a malfunction.
“The FAA has ordered airlines to suspend all domestic flights until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information.”
NOTAM messages contain information that is important to personnel involved in flight operations but is not known long enough in advance to otherwise be disclosed.
The information can be up to 200 pages long for long-haul international flights and can include items such as runway closures, general bird warnings or low-level obstructions.
The shutdown came after federal officials said Tuesday they would require charter lines, tour operators and aircraft manufacturers to develop detailed systems to identify potential safety issues before accidents happen.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
