11Alive.com | Atlanta, GA | FAA Flight Computers Down; Major Air Traffic Delays Result — This is going on now and started about two hours ago. CNN is covering it well. Get to the TVs. Looks like a hack to me.
The FAA’s computer system — based in Hampton, Ga., south of Atlanta — that tracks flight plans for airplanes over the eastern United States has suffered a failure.
As a result, flights that would be processed through the FAA’s Atlanta center are being handled through the facility in Salt Lake City. This process has dramatically slowed down departures and arrivals for flights all over the United States. There is no word on how long this process will have to continue.
FAA officials said that there has also been a failure in a communication link that transmits the data to a similar facility in Salt Lake City.
They better get these things back up – stat! After all they are keeping the TSA from being able to harass travelers!
Obviously, “Not A Mac!”
OK, I give up, what is it?
I think Karl Rove did this to take focus off the Demo’s slumber party.
Johnny, Johnny, Johhny….
You have got to get the site fixed. It has been FUBARed for days!
Don’t think it was a hack. Probably caused by incompetence. Someone accidentally kicking the plug.
My servers at the university have been inundated by attempted denial of service attacks since the end of the Beijing Olympics. Just saying. The FAA systems are tightly run, for a center to just go down, isn’t a loose power plug.
When you’re working with computers that are 20 years old, and some older, what do you expect? The radar systems are like yo-yo’s, ATC still keeps direct reflect mode radar with “boats” and pen markers for backup when the main interlinked radar goes down. Routing without mode C (altitude reporting) is a pain. Sheesh.
>>Entire System Stops all USA Flights
Huh????
The article says “Every major airport in the United States was experiencing flight delays.
That doesn’t sound like “all USA flights” were “stopped”.
In any case, the would differ from business as usual exactly how? Every time I go to a major airport in the United States, they’re experiencing flight delays to one degree or another.
Just another reason not to fly, unless absolutely necessary.
Hack? pfff, more like someone unplugginf something they shouldnt have.
This could be the terrorist attack arranged just prior to the elections.
Someone pulled the switch too soon. Did someone say “this is only a test, damn it” ? !
WCBS radio in NYC is reporting it alot in the past 30min..stating major delays starting to build..
60min at Newark, 45min at LGA and 60min at JFK
time now 5:29pm
-and they still cant locate this computer glitch -please..its what 20yrs old+, the techs in charge should know every nuance there is w/this system and know off the bat, where to start looking.
lets go to conspiracy
theories 101..
-maybe they’re warming us up for the fabled/much needed cyber attack so they have an excuse to activate this i-patriot act, that’s getting alot of chatter lately..or worse.
it’s the Flight Plan computer…and they have no backup(!) -what a perfect way to
“lose a few planes” for some nefarious finger pointing/Ops..
either that, or some numnut in the CIA/Blackwater was supposed to hack computer networks over in the Republic of Georgia and mistakenly hacked networks in Atlanta Georgia..
*shrug* -just thought i’d throw some gas on the fire.. ;p
-s
(unrelated: if i hear one more “exiting news blurb about hillary clinton’s upcoming speech at the DNC tonight on the radio, my head is surely going to pop.. cant find a station that’s not going gaga over it..)
I am not joking here, but isn’t the FAA computer system still vacuum tube based? I am pretty sure it was a couple of years ago, when I heard they were the single largest buyer of vacuum tubes.
Kicking the plug doesn’t stop a computer system unless you have a single server. This is not “one” computer system but multiple interconnected systems – each with load and failure balancing.
Like all major failures it’s a cascade failure caused by a bottleneck in one system. Odds are there has been a major upgrade or configuration change to one or more systems in the last week. You’d also be surprised how often simple system management isn’t done (e.g. disk space).
MIght be a hack but I’d guess it was lack of maintainance combined with elderly hardware and software.
Of course they have a hard time getting anything new to work as well.
laxdude, the air traffic control system is ancient but currently runs on modern, big iron IBM mainframes.
I told them not to install Vista!
Ketchup wins again!
Vista? Surely most of these type of systems run on 3.1 or DOS based?
However, has anyone checked if Obama was in the air at the time? As he had issues with his plane a few weeks back (mentioned on No Agenda) – might be a connection?
#19 – Uh Leigh, it was a joke – just like Vista.
Has anyone seen Colonel Stuart?
I think Jägermeister should get an academy award for best graphics in a hostile blog setting.
Flying is a pain in the ass these days.
I heard it was the Good Times virus!
Its amazing how the delays in air travel spread all over North America – to Mexico and Canada
What does all of this have to do with a Mormon being vice president
Get me to the church on time !
Is this the same reason for the Dvorak to be running soooo sloooow lately?
Here’s the gory details.
“the failure was caused by a human error”
As I predicted…