A nearly five-hour shutdown of the US aviation system, which disrupted more than 20,000 flights, may have been caused by a single router installed by government contractor L3Harris. The incident highlights the challenges of replacing aging US air traffic control telecom systems while keeping old communications working. The FAA's aging telecom systems have failed in recent years due to various issues, including errant fiber cuts and accidental deletion of files.
The FAA was conducting routine maintenance to switch telecommunication lines from old copper wire to fiber at a remote location when the issue occurred. Officials said there may have been problems with routers installed in both Arkansas and Texas. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA is working to determine whether the fault was due to incompetence or a faulty router installed by L3Harris.
L3Harris said it takes the issue seriously and is supporting the FAA's investigation. The company has completed over 70% of the planned airspace communications conversion from legacy copper wires to a fiber-optic system. The FAA spends $1 billion annually to maintain its old copper wire system and is racing to replace it with modern fiber-based communications.
The issue began overloading communications at 17 of the FAA's 22 en route centers, prompting a nationwide ground stop. Duffy said the new routers started flooding other routers with over 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds, sparking communications issues with planes and radar at FAA facilities. The FAA had to take action when it lost the ability for those routers to communicate data.
This is not the first time small mishaps have led to catastrophic consequences for the US air traffic control network. A 2023 FAA nationwide ground stop that lasted 90 minutes and disrupted 11,000 flights was caused by a government contractor unintentionally deleting files. The FAA got $12.5 billion to upgrade its aging air traffic control and telecom system from Congress, and Duffy has asked for $50 billion more for air traffic control and airports.
The FAA is still trying to understand the root cause of the issue and is working to replace outdated systems, including floppy disks used for weather and other critical information at over 400 air traffic control facilities. The agency relies on a telecoms system it is racing to replace, as well as decades-old Compaq computers and replacement parts bought on eBay.
The FAA has been working for years to modernize its systems, including ending the practice of air traffic controllers using paper flight strips to keep track of aircraft. The change, which started in 2022, is expected to be adopted at 49 major airports by at least 2028. The recent outage highlights the need for continued investment in modernizing the US air traffic control system.
Key points
- The US aviation shutdown was caused by a single router installed by L3Harris.
- The FAA is working to replace its aging telecom systems with modern fiber-based communications.
- The incident highlights the challenges of upgrading aging air traffic control systems while maintaining old communications.
