Read, Watch or Listen

A near-catastrophic air traffic control system outage at Newark Liberty International Airport last week caused widespread flight delays and cancellations. The outage, lasting 60-90 seconds, left controllers unable to see planes on radar or communicate with pilots. The FAA attributes the failure to a single, non-redundant data feed, which has failed previously. Multiple controllers are taking trauma leave due to the stressful event, highlighting concerns about the outdated system and its lack of redundancy. The incident, described as "the most dangerous situation," has sparked renewed scrutiny of the aging infrastructure and its potential for future failures.

Prepared by Jonathan Pierce and reviewed by editorial team.