https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/denver-airport-loses-all-air-traffic-control-communications-for-90-seconds-after-equipment-failure/ar-AA1EUgoY?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=7fb910fdf02245e19085f1f3f1d67d6d&ei=14Air traffic controllers in Denver experienced a heart-stopping 90 seconds of silence this week when they lost contact with aircraft mid-flight.
Denver's skies fell silent as air traffic controllers swiftly transitioned to backup frequencies after another hiccup in the Federal Aviation Administration's equipment. During a House hearing on Thursday, Frank McIntosh, the head of air traffic control at the FAA, reported that while communications faltered at a center controlling high-altitude flights across the US on Monday afternoon, radar functions remained unaffected. The Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center was hit by a communication blackout lasting approximately 90 seconds, the FAA verified. McIntosh disclosed that due to the collapse of both primary and main backup frequencies, controllers were forced to use an emergency frequency to communicate with pilots.
This incident adds to a growing list of concerns, coming shortly after two major radar and communication failures at a Philadelphia facility overseeing air traffic for Newark, New Jersey's airport in recent weeks, reports the Mirror.
The FAA insisted, "Controllers used another frequency to relay instructions to pilots. Aircraft remained safely separated and there were no impacts to operations".At the hearing, California Rep. Robert Garcia voiced his apprehension to McIntosh, remarking on the seemingly increasing regularity of these technological blackouts.
"We know that there are staffing and equipment problems at air traffic control," Garcia pointed out.
"We know that the problems have gone back decades in some cases, but it's still an absolutely shocking system failure and we need immediate solutions." Last week brought news of the Trump administration launching a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul an archaic air traffic control system heavily reliant on obsolete technology.
Despite its outdated nature, air travel is still considered safe; however, the issues at Newark were entirely preventable and should have been addressed sooner with proper updates, as mentioned by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in his Newsweek editorial this Thursday. Officials from the FAA, as well as airlines using Newark Airport, reconvened on Thursday to discuss the need for flight reductions due to inadequate numbers of controllers available.
These conversations are expected to extend into a third meeting on Friday, though it's improbable that the FAA will rush into a decision.
Newark experienced over 140 flight cancellations on Thursday alone.
A detailed plan to modernize America's air traffic system was commissioned after a tragic airborne incident in January. A deadly collision occurred between a commercial aircraft and an Army helicopter, claiming 67 lives in the skies over Washington, D.C.
This accident, along with a series of other crashes throughout the year, has intensified the urgency for officials to implement reforms.
