FAA NOTAM computer outage affected military flights
The data file that triggered the incident has been corrupted by contractors.
On January 11, the Federal Aviation Administration suspended all US domestic departures after its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system failed. The agency later revealed that the outage was caused by a database file that was damaged by "staff who failed to follow procedures." Now, according to a new report from The Washington Post, the database failure has also created problems for the tools used by US military pilots.
One of the systems affected was the Defense Internet NOTAM Service (DINS), which typically accompanies FAA alerts about flight hazards. During the outage, military pilots were receiving duplicate NOTAMs or none at all. The Post said an FAA bulletin informed military users that the system had become "deteriorated and unreliable". Unlike civilian flights, which had to be grounded, military flights can take place in situations like this. An Air Force spokesperson told the outlet that military branch pilots should call to ask about the potential dangers of flying themselves.
The outage had also erased all NOTAMs submitted to the system from Tuesday afternoon, so airports and air traffic controllers were asked to resubmit them. Additionally, the FAA faced delays and other challenges after the system was returned to service due to "high system load".
The FAA is still verifying the cause of the failure, but The Post said it appears the contractors really made a mistake and there is no had no malicious intent behind their actions. Legislators are taking this opportunity to shine a light on outdated FAA technology and seek funding for upgrades. The computer system that crashed and led to the outage is already three decades old, and according to CNN there's also at least six years to go before getting an upgrade. It remains to be seen if the incident will alter this timeline.
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The data file that triggered the incident has been corrupted by contractors.
On January 11, the Federal Aviation Administration suspended all US domestic departures after its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system failed. The agency later revealed that the outage was caused by a database file that was damaged by "staff who failed to follow procedures." Now, according to a new report from The Washington Post, the database failure has also created problems for the tools used by US military pilots.
One of the systems affected was the Defense Internet NOTAM Service (DINS), which typically accompanies FAA alerts about flight hazards. During the outage, military pilots were receiving duplicate NOTAMs or none at all. The Post said an FAA bulletin informed military users that the system had become "deteriorated and unreliable". Unlike civilian flights, which had to be grounded, military flights can take place in situations like this. An Air Force spokesperson told the outlet that military branch pilots should call to ask about the potential dangers of flying themselves.
The outage had also erased all NOTAMs submitted to the system from Tuesday afternoon, so airports and air traffic controllers were asked to resubmit them. Additionally, the FAA faced delays and other challenges after the system was returned to service due to "high system load".
The FAA is still verifying the cause of the failure, but The Post said it appears the contractors really made a mistake and there is no had no malicious intent behind their actions. Legislators are taking this opportunity to shine a light on outdated FAA technology and seek funding for upgrades. The computer system that crashed and led to the outage is already three decades old, and according to CNN there's also at least six years to go before getting an upgrade. It remains to be seen if the incident will alter this timeline.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices correct at time of publication.
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