VITAL radio contact with pilots is failing nearly every week – putting passengers’ lives at risk – terrified air traffic controllers have warned.
They’re faced with a constant “nightmare” following a catastrophic deadly crash, multiple near-misses and planes “flying blind” over New Jersey.
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Stressed-out pilots and air traffic controllers have begged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to completely overhaul the dangerous – and ancient – air traffic control system.
They have to depend upon outdated technology – like “floppy disks” last seen in the 20th century.
Their plea follows the latest near-disaster, when screens and radios went dark for all air traffic controllers as they lost contact with planes approaching Newark airport.
During the April 28 incident, air traffic officials stationed in nearby Philadelphia were unable to connect with planes on radar and through radio for 90 seconds.
Yesterday, the FAA announced it has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark after the system outage.
On Wednesday, Newark led the nation with 42 canceled departures and 46 canceled arrivals, according to FlightAware.com
But “shell-shocked” controllers told NBC News that outages have become too frequent, and they’re in constant fear of radar systems failing – yet again.
“It’s everybody’s worst nightmare,” said Michael Donahue, 53.
Donahue was based at Philadelphia International Airport for two decades and, up until February, worked alongside the controllers who handled the flights into Newark.
He revealed that controllers had lost radio contact with pilots nearly every week until the recent Newark near-disaster.
This glitch was sometimes due to the radar, which tracks the location of planes, suddenly failing to function.
Donahue recalled, “People would come out of the room screaming, ‘We’ve lost the frequencies!’
“That’s almost just as scary, because you could see two planes going towards each other and not be able to do anything.”
Newark controllers were moved from New York to Philadelphia last summer to address staffing issues.
But, problems haven’t faded, Donahue added.
“As soon as they got here (Philadelphia), they were having frequency issues, and one day they lost the radar completely,” Donahue said.
He described the controllers as being “at breaking point” and “at stress level 10 at the Newark approach.”
During each shift they fear “am I gonna lose the radar today? Am I gonna lose the frequencies?” he said.
FAA’s statement about issues at Newark Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration shared the following statement about the ongoing issues at Newark Liberty International Airport.
“Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce,” the FAA said in a statement on Monday.
As [Transportation Secretary Sean] Duffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible.
“We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers.
“In addition, we are updating our automation system to improve resiliency.
“Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages.
“While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace.
“When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport. We will keep the public updated as we work through these issues.”
Source: X
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association confirmed that Newark had “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them.”
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby warned last Friday that Newark Airport “cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead.”
But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he has a plan to “radically transform” the creaking air traffic control system.
Duffy’s agency is facing scrutiny after the latest incident.
But he told Fox News on Monday, “Were planes going to crash? No. They have communication devices.”
He also told host Laura Ingraham on Monday night, “We’re going to build a brand-new air traffic control system — from new telecom, to new radars, to new infrastructure.
“We’re bringing on new air traffic controllers.
“This has been a problem in the decades coming, and we’re going to fix it.”
What is wrong with America’s air traffic control system?
The US needs to spend billions for new radar, air traffic control facilities, telecommunications equipment.
The industry is struggling with crumbling, outdated infrastructure, huge staffing shortfalls and failing technology, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“You are starting to see cracks in the system,” Duffy said last week. “Everything – the hardware and the software – has to be redone.”
The FAA’s air traffic communications systems have been outdated for years and the agency can no longer get spare parts for many systems.
Aging FAA air traffic facilities have leaking roofs, broken elevators and heating and air conditioning systems, while ancient surveillance radar systems must soon be replaced at a cost of billions of dollars.
Obsolete buildings contain radar technology that is no longer manufactured and computers with floppy disks last seen in the 20th century.
Many of the 520 airports overseen by the FAA need new runway safety technology so controllers don’t rely on binoculars to see planes.
The FAA has said it will end a long-ridiculed, decades-old practice of air traffic controllers using paper flight strips to keep track of aircraft.
The agency is currently some 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and nearly all control towers have staffing shortages.
Controllers are working mandatory overtime of up to 12 hours a day and six-day work weeks to cover shortages in the high-stress vocation.
The FAA said in March it planned to hire 2,000 air traffic controller trainees this year.
Duffy, 53, said that officials had “slowed the traffic down at Newark” due to safety concerns.
He added, “When you have an incident like this, you want to make sure that people are safe.
“And so, you just have less departures out of the airport until we feel comfortable and safe that the system isn’t going to go down again.”
Despite his defense of the system, five controllers remain on extended trauma leave after the radar outage, which has worsened staff shortages in Philadelphia.
DEADLY CRASH
The temporary blackout came months after a mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter in January, which killed 67 people near Reagan Washington National Airport.
On Thursday, another Army helicopter forced two flights to abort landings at Reagan.
And on Monday, at the San Francisco Airport, there was a collision between two United Airlines planes – fortunately there were no injuries.
Last month, two planes carrying multiple members of Congress collided at Washington National Airport, prompting yet another FAA probe.
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