Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost radar after fiber optic line was cut

Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost their radar Friday after a fiber optic line was cut, but the outage didn't lead to disruptions like what happened after similar outages around the Newark, New Jersey, airport this spring.
Controllers were able to continue directing planes across five states in the Southeast because a backup system kicked in as designed. The Federal Aviation Administration said no flights were disrupted. The FAA said the radar center in Jacksonville, Florida, continued operating, but on alert status because its primary communication line went down. A contractor was working on repairing the severed fiber line Friday afternoon. Authorities didn't specify what caused the severed fiber line or where it happened. The FAA didn't say exactly how long the radar was offline, but when air traffic controllers in a different facility in Philadelphia lost radar twice this spring, it took 90 seconds for their systems to reboot after the system went down. Those incidents led to major disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey because five controllers went on trauma leave after those outages, and that facility in Philadelphia directs planes in and out of the airport. Hundreds of flights had to be canceled in Newark because the remaining controllers couldn't safely handle every flight on the schedule. Operations at that airport have since improved significantly.
An FAA spokesperson said there was no loss of critical air traffic service in Jacksonville because the backup system kicked in. That center is responsible for planes flying across roughly 160,000 square miles of airspace across most of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The problems in Newark were blamed on the failure of aging copper wires that much of the nation's air traffic control system still relies on. Transportation officials said the Newark problems demonstrated the need for a multi-million-dollar overhaul of the system that they are lobbying Congress to approve.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Al Arabiya

2 days ago

• Al Arabiya

Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost radar after fiber optic line was cut

Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost their radar Friday after a fiber optic line was cut, but the outage didn't lead to disruptions like what happened after similar outages around the Newark, New Jersey, airport this spring. Controllers were able to continue directing planes across five states in the Southeast because a backup system kicked in as designed. The Federal Aviation Administration said no flights were disrupted. The FAA said the radar center in Jacksonville, Florida, continued operating, but on alert status because its primary communication line went down. A contractor was working on repairing the severed fiber line Friday afternoon. Authorities didn't specify what caused the severed fiber line or where it happened. The FAA didn't say exactly how long the radar was offline, but when air traffic controllers in a different facility in Philadelphia lost radar twice this spring, it took 90 seconds for their systems to reboot after the system went down. Those incidents led to major disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey because five controllers went on trauma leave after those outages, and that facility in Philadelphia directs planes in and out of the airport. Hundreds of flights had to be canceled in Newark because the remaining controllers couldn't safely handle every flight on the schedule. Operations at that airport have since improved significantly. An FAA spokesperson said there was no loss of critical air traffic service in Jacksonville because the backup system kicked in. That center is responsible for planes flying across roughly 160,000 square miles of airspace across most of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The problems in Newark were blamed on the failure of aging copper wires that much of the nation's air traffic control system still relies on. Transportation officials said the Newark problems demonstrated the need for a multi-million-dollar overhaul of the system that they are lobbying Congress to approve.

Al Arabiya

4 days ago

• Al Arabiya

NTSB Says Runway Lights That Might Have Helped in Foggy San Diego Crash Hadn't Worked Since 2022

The runway lights that would have helped guide a small jet into a San Diego airport in foggy weather before the plane crashed, killing all six aboard, hadn't worked since 2022, investigators said. But it's unclear whether the pilot, who was based at the airport, knew the lights were out of service. The National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report Wednesday on the early morning crash of May 22 that also injured eight people on the ground. It confirmed that the Cessna came in too low as it approached the airport and struck power lines before the plane broke apart, crashing in a nearby neighborhood. The plane struck one home, and 20 vehicles were also damaged by the crash and ensuing fire. The jet was carrying a music executive named Dave Shapiro and five others. No one in the neighborhood of US Navy housing died, but eight people were treated for smoke inhalation from the fiery crash and non-life-threatening injuries after the crash near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. The pilot acknowledged the weather conditions for landing at the small airport were not ideal and debated diverting to a different airport while discussing the visibility with an air traffic controller at a regional Federal Aviation Administration control facility, according to audio of the conversation posted by The FAA had posted an official notice for pilots that the runway alignment lights were out of service, but the NTSB said that had been the case since March 2022. Repairs to those lights had been delayed while waiting for an environmental study. The NTSB said it appeared the pilot tried to activate the lights by keying his microphone seven times while approaching the airport. The NTSB said the pilot was based out of the executive airport near where the crash occurred. Shapiro had a pilot's license and was listed as the owner of the plane. But the preliminary report did not say whether investigators have determined whether the pilot knew the runway lights were not working. A power surge had also knocked out the weather system at the airport, but the pilot was aware of the fog, and an air traffic controller gave him weather information from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) to the north. The NTSB said the plane was only about 60 feet (18 meters) above the ground when it struck the power lines above the neighborhood. The NTSB said the plane should have been flying almost 200 feet (60 meters) higher as it approached the airport. Wednesday's report does not list the cause of the crash. That won't be officially determined until the final report is done sometime next year.

Asharq Al-Awsat

15-06-2025

• Asharq Al-Awsat

Galapagos Tortoise Celebrates His 135th Birthday and His First Father's Day at Zoo Miami

A South Florida zoo's oldest resident celebrated his 135th birthday and his first Father's Day on Sunday. Goliath, a 517-pound (234-kilogram) Galapagos tortoise at Zoo Miami, became a father for the first time earlier this month, zoo officials said. 'Goliath is my hero, and I am sure he will soon be an inspiration to many others!' Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said in a statement. 'He is living proof that where there is a will, there is a way and to never give up!' One egg out of a clutch of eight laid on Jan. 27 successfully hatched on June 4, officials said. Besides being Goliath's first offspring, it's also the first time one of the endangered reptiles has hatched at Zoo Miami. The animals' numbers were drastically reduced before the 20th century by human exploitation and the introduction of invasive species to the Galapagos Islands. Modern threats include climate change and habitat loss. According to Goliath's official record, he hatched on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos on June 15, between 1885 and 1890. The island group is located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, several hundred miles west of mainland Ecuador. Goliath arrived at the Bronx Zoo in 1929 and moved to Zoo Miami in 1981. He has bred with several different females during his time at Zoo Miami, but he has never sired an offspring. The new hatchling's mother, Sweet Pea, is estimated to be between 85 and 100 years old. Both parents are doing well in their public habitat, officials said. The hatchling appears to be healthy in a separate enclosure. Wild hatchlings are not raised by their parents.