Airport chaos persists for multiple days at Newark: flight delays, cancellations, and passenger frustration continue.
Let's Rewrite This Mess:
Last week, chaos erupted at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, all thanks to a lousy 30 seconds of technical mishap. Air traffic controllers, working from Philadelphia, lost communication and radar contact with the planes they were meant to guide.
A pilot from United Airlines Flight 1951, traveling from New Orleans, tried to get in touch with the missing controller five times before finally getting a response. The controller, sounding tense, confirmed the pilot's voice was loud and clear. But those precious seconds of silence when communication went down, soon snowballed into a weeklong nightmare at Newark.
Delays and cancellations plagued thousands of customers, leaving them stranded. Controllers themselves took leave due to trauma, and the nation's attention turned to an antiquated air traffic control system. The incident, unfortunately, wasn't a standalone incident in an already turbulent year for aviation. A deadly collision between a passenger jet and a US army helicopter earlier in the year had already raised eyebrows.
Controllers at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, responsible for planes arriving at Newark, lost access to the systems that help guide aircraft. Controllers lost primary communication, and the backup line didn't kick in immediately, revealing cracks in the system. Audio obtained by CNN exposed the heart-stopping moments at the control center.
"United 674, radar contact lost," a controller told a pilot flying to Newark from Charleston, South Carolina. "We lost our radar so just stay on the arrival and maintain 6000 (feet)." The same flight returned to the radar but didn't show up in an accurate position. The connectivity between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar and the frequencies air traffic controllers use to manage planes at the airport "completely failed." Without radar, another approach controller had to ask the pilot of a smaller aircraft to rely on towers for clearance.
Losing both radar and communications on the job can be a terrifying experience, as Colin Scoggins, a former air traffic controller and retired military specialist at the FAA, confessed to CNN. "If you cannot talk to a pilot, then you're really in trouble," he said, adding, "There's no sugarcoating it. It can be very traumatic."
Approximately 15 to 20 flights were being controlled by Newark Liberty approach controllers when communication and radar went down. No crashes occurred, but at least five FAA employees took 45 days of trauma leave afterward. Aviation analyst Miles O'Brien told CNN that the controllers did what they could with a potentially dangerous situation. "I think, as I always say, that the controllers, the individuals who run this system daily, perform quiet heroic acts, in spite of a system that is built to set them up for failure," he said.
The incident has compounded existing staffing shortages and equipment failures, contributing to frustrating hours-long delays for passengers. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has pointed out that the shortage of air traffic controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years[1]. The control facility responsible for traffic at Newark has been "chronically understaffed for years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a message addressing the delays[2].
The current situation has raised questions about whether the system can be transformed, with the Department of Transportation announcing a plan to remodel the outdated air traffic control system[4]. Critics have long argued that the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) has not delivered on its promises to improve air traffic control technology[3].
*References:*[1] ["The current shortage of air traffic controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years," National Air Traffic Controllers Association][2] ["The control facility responsible for traffic at Newark has been 'chronically understaffed for years,' United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby"][3] ["The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) has been criticized for not delivering on its promises to improve air traffic control technology"][4] ["The Department of Transportation will announce a plan Thursday to transform the air traffic control system"]
- The technology fail during the air traffic control mishap in 1951 at Newark Liberty International Airport significantly disrupted communications between the air traffic controllers and pilots, causing a weeklong nightmare.
- The incident of lost communication and radar contact with planes in 2021 highlighted the need for restoring technology and addressing the issues within the air traffic control system, especially regarding the antiquated system.
- The controllers at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control faced the challenge of managing planes arriving at Newark during the mishap, as they lost primary communication and encountered delays in getting backup systems to kick in.
- The newspapers headlining general-news and crime-and-justice sections might have reported on the accident involving a United Airlines flight and a US army helicopter earlier in the year, as well as the chaos at Newark Liberty International Airport, underlining the turbulent state of the aviation industry.
- Sports coverage, on the other hand, could focus on stories of athletes facing adversity and overcoming challenges, providing a stark contrast to the struggles at the air traffic control system, serving as a reminder that human resilience continues to flourish amidst technological meltdowns and political debates.
