Telecoms and broadcasters know what a NOTAM is. They need to file what is now called a Notice to Air Missions with the FAA to alert pilots to tower light outages and tower construction. Others file NOTAMs to alert pilots to additional potential real-time problems along a flight’s path, such as runway closures.
Now, many more people have become familiar with the acronym too, after the FAA’s NOTAM system failed on Wednesday. That spurred the FAA to issue a nationwide ground stop of more than 1,300 flights and delay nearly 10,000 more, according to flight tracker FlightAware.com.
The FAA said that early investigative work traced the blackout to a “damaged database file,” but the agency is still working to determine the root cause, reported NPR. Engadget called the cause “a relatively simple glitch,” and notes the FAA is trying to prevent repeat incidents but said there’s “no evidence” of a cyberattack.
Similar disruptions arose in Canada on the same day. NAV CANADA, which owns and operates that country’s civil air navigation system, reported its own issues with its NOTAM technology and subsequent delays. The company said late Wednesday: “NAV CANADA continues to investigate the cause of the outage; at this time, we do not believe it to be related to the FAA outage experienced.”
The first-time outage leaves some unanswered questions about the fragility of NOTAM in the U.S. Engadget noted that whatever redundancy was in place wasn’t enough.
Mike McCormick, a former safety official at the FAA and an assistant professor at the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, said the incident raises concerns as the FAA has been investing millions of dollars into updating its systems. “The surprising part to me is that after years of upgrades and investment in the next generation aviation system, how one — whatever it may be — problem caused this complete failure in the system. And there should never be a single point of failure,” he told NPR.
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said the panel will look into the cause and how to prevent future outages as members prepare legislation to reauthorize the FAA. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), the new Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a pilot, said the outage “highlights a huge vulnerability in our air transportation system.” Graves said he will ask the FAA to provide a full briefing to Congress as soon as the agency learns more.
NOTAMs have been around for decades. But until December 2021, a NOTAM was known by the name “Notice to Airmen,” although the acronym remains the same. It was changed to remove the gendered term and because the notices were also then being sent to drone operators and not just pilots on board aircraft, reported CNN.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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