What really caused the NOTAM system to go offline? FAA provides an update.
system outage that caused more than 10,000 flights to be delayed or canceled in one day, but that preliminary findings suggest it was caused by an accident of human error.
“A preliminary FAA review of last week’s outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system determined that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database,” an FAA statement said. “The agency has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent. The FAA continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outage.”
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What is a NOTAM?
A Notice to Air Missions provides pilots and other flight personnel with real-time, safety information concerning flight operations and airports.
NOTAM lists potential hazards and conditions that can impact flights – from runway construction or possible icing to a change in an aeronautical facility or flight service.
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Pilots are required to consult NOTAMs before starting every flight.Â
The NOTAM system was previously telephone-based, with pilots calling flight service stations for the information, but it has now moved online.
What’s next?Â
The FAA’s investigation into the incident continues, and many experts and airline executives are calling on Congress to provide the agency with more funding to update some of the older technologies it relies on.
“The FAA needs more resources,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. “The hard facts are the FAA’s budget, in real terms, is lower than it was 20 years ago, but the amount of work they’re being asked to do is higher.”
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Meanwhile, the agency said it will continue its review and work to alter its procedures to avoid another air traffic shutdown.
“The FAA made the necessary repairs to the system and has taken steps to make the NOTAM system more resilient,” it said in a statement. “The agency is acting quickly to adopt any other lessons learned in our efforts to ensure the continuing robustness of the nation’s air traffic control system.”
Contributing:Â Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY. The Associated Press