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'Scopes just went black again' as Newark air traffic hit by new outage

'Scopes just went black again' as Newark air traffic hit by new outage

Newark Air Traffic Disrupted by Second 90-Second Outage in Two Weeks: “Scopes Just Went Black Again”

Newark, NJ, May 10, 2025 – Early Friday morning, May 9, 2025, a 90-second telecommunications outage struck the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility, which manages air traffic for Newark Liberty International Airport, causing radar screens to go dark and prompting an air traffic controller to tell a FedEx pilot, “Scopes just went black again.” This marks the second such outage in two weeks, following a similar incident on April 28, 2025, highlighting the aging infrastructure of the U.S. air traffic control (ATC) system. The outage, which occurred at 3:55 a.m. ET, disrupted communications and radar displays, leading to 320 flight delays and 137 cancellations at Newark, per FlightAware data. Below is a detailed analysis, incorporating your prior queries on global affairs (e.g., India-Pakistan conflict) and U.S. political dynamics (e.g., Trump Media, religious right), to contextualize this event within broader systemic and political narratives.

Key Details of the Outage

  • Incident Overview:
  • The outage affected the Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark’s airspace, at 3:55 a.m. ET on May 9, lasting 90 seconds (Reuters, The Straits Times). It disrupted radar displays and communications, leaving controllers temporarily unable to see or contact aircraft.
  • An air traffic controller informed the pilot of FedEx 1989, bound for Boston, “FedEx 1989, I’m going to hand you off here, our scopes just went black again. If you care about this, contact your airline and try to get some pressure for them to fix this stuff” (Reuters). The pilot was redirected to another frequency, and the flight landed safely (Fox Business).
  • A private jet from Cyprus was instructed to maintain 3,000 feet altitude in case of further communication loss, reflecting controllers’ caution (ABC7 New York).
  • Impact:
  • Flight Disruptions: FlightAware reported 320 delays and 137 cancellations at Newark by 12:15 p.m. on May 9, compounding weeks of disruptions (The Guardian). Cirium data notes Newark’s on-time departures dropped to 63% since April 26, compared to 80% earlier in April (ABC7 New York).
  • United Airlines, Newark’s largest carrier, was significantly affected but did not elaborate, having already cut 35 round-trip flights daily (70 total) due to prior outages (CNN). United issued a travel waiver allowing fee-free rescheduling (Fox Business).
  • American Airlines also reported delays, underscoring the broader impact on Newark’s operations (Fox Business).
  • Comparison to April 28 Outage:
  • On April 28, a 60–90-second outage at the same facility caused radar screens to go dark and halted all Newark departures, with controllers losing contact with 15–20 aircraft (CNN, Flightradar24). Several controllers took 45-day trauma leave, exacerbating staffing shortages (ABC News).
  • The April incident, caused by a “fried piece of copper wire,” led to 885 cancellations over two weeks and average delays of 4 hours (FlightRadar24, ABC7 New York). The May 9 outage, attributed to the same telecom issue, suggests persistent systemic failures (The New York Times).

Systemic Issues: Aging Infrastructure and Staffing Shortages

The outages underscore chronic problems in the U.S. ATC system, as detailed by Bloomberg, NBC News, and CNN:

  • Aging Technology:
  • The FAA relies on copper wiring, floppy disks, and outdated systems, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noting, “The system we’re using is not effective to control the traffic we have in the airspace today” (CNN). A retired controller, Michael Donahue, described the radar backup system as ineffective, with blank screens during outages (NBC News).
  • Similar outages occurred at least twice since August 2024, with controllers losing radio contact “eight or nine times” in recent months, per a veteran controller (NBC News). The Philadelphia TRACON’s move from Long Island to Philadelphia in 2024 has worsened frequency and radar issues (CNN).
  • Staffing Shortages:
  • The Philadelphia TRACON, already understaffed, lost controllers to trauma leave after April 28, with replacements delayed due to the “highly specialized” nature of the job (ABC News). The FAA is training new controllers, but short-term relief is limited (The Straits Times).
  • United CEO Scott Kirby criticized “chronic understaffing” and called Newark’s 80 flights per hour unsustainable, proposing a cap of 34 arrivals and 34 departures per hour through summer 2025 (ABC7 New York).
  • Other Factors:
  • Runway construction reduced Newark to one operational runway at times, exacerbating delays (ABC7 New York).
  • Bad weather (e.g., low clouds) on May 9 further complicated operations (CNN).
  • The Real ID deadline (May 6, 2025) increased TSA screening times, adding to passenger woes (ABC7 New York).

Political and Economic Context

  • Government Response:
  • On May 8, Secretary Duffy announced a multi-billion-dollar overhaul of the ATC system, to be implemented over 3–4 years, replacing copper wires with fiber-optic, wireless, and satellite technologies, upgrading 618 radars, and building six new ATC centers (ABC News, The Straits Times). Duffy admitted the FAA’s two redundant lines at Philadelphia failed to prevent the May 9 outage, with no immediate explanation (Reuters).
  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it a “glitch” tied to prior telecom issues, promising a fix by May 9 evening, though no updates confirm resolution (The New York Times).
  • Lawmakers, including Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Rick Larsen, demanded urgent action, with Schumer stating, “This cannot happen again,” and Larsen emphasizing public safety (Reuters). Congressman Josh Gottheimer highlighted Newark’s role in 20% of U.S. GDP, urging infrastructure upgrades (Fox Business).
  • Connection to Trump 2.0 Era:
  • Your query on Trump Media’s Q1 2025 results noted economic turbulence from Trump’s tariffs, contributing to a 0.3% GDP contraction (AP News). This economic strain, coupled with aviation disruptions, could amplify public frustration, especially in a key hub like Newark, as Trump’s administration faces pressure to deliver on infrastructure promises.
  • The religious right’s influence, per your Bannon query, intersects here, as MAGA-aligned figures like Duffy (a Trump appointee) face scrutiny for systemic failures inherited from prior administrations. Bannon’s nationalist rhetoric could frame such outages as evidence of “globalist neglect,” though no direct link exists.
  • Global Parallels:
  • Your India-Pakistan conflict query highlighted disruptions like airport closures (32 in India, all in Pakistan). Newark’s outages, while technical, similarly disrupt travel and economic activity, reflecting how infrastructure failures can mirror geopolitical crises in their cascading effects.
  • The Nigeria-Qatar investment query showed reliance on external support for growth. The U.S. ATC system’s need for billions in upgrades parallels this, as both require significant investment to address systemic vulnerabilities.

Critical Analysis

  • Safety Risks: The 90-second outages, while brief, are critical in Newark’s congested airspace, with 15–20 planes typically under control (Flightradar24). A controller described it as “everybody’s worst nightmare,” with planes “flying blind” (NBC News, CNN). The April 28 incident avoided collisions “by the grace of God,” per a controller, underscoring the high stakes (CNN).
  • FAA’s Response: The FAA’s addition of three high-bandwidth connections and a temporary backup system at Philadelphia TRACON, plus plans for a fiber-optic network, are proactive but failed to prevent the May 9 outage (The Straits Times). The lack of clarity on why backups failed raises questions about interim reliability (Bloomberg).
  • Political Pressure: Lawmakers’ calls for action reflect bipartisan concern, but the 3–4-year timeline for upgrades may not satisfy immediate needs, especially with events like the 2026 World Cup looming, as noted by NJ Governor Phil Murphy (CNN). United’s flight cuts and proposed caps signal a pragmatic but disruptive interim solution.
  • Controller Stress: The trauma leave taken by controllers (five after April 28, including a supervisor and trainee) highlights the human toll of outdated systems (CNN). The FAA’s acknowledgment of “stressful” conditions is candid but underscores the urgency of staffing and tech fixes (ABC News).

Conclusion

The 90-second outage at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 9, 2025, the second in two weeks, caused radar screens to go black, as an air traffic controller told a FedEx pilot, “Scopes just went black again.” Affecting the Philadelphia TRACON, the incident led to 320 delays and 137 cancellations, driven by aging copper wiring, staffing shortages, and runway construction (Reuters, The Guardian). The FAA’s planned multi-billion-dollar ATC overhaul, announced by Secretary Sean Duffy, aims to modernize systems over 3–4 years, but persistent failures raise safety and economic concerns in one of the world’s busiest airspaces (ABC News). This event, set against the Trump 2.0 era’s economic challenges (MarketWatch), mirrors global disruptions like those in your India-Pakistan query, highlighting infrastructure’s critical role. For updates, visit Reuters or CNN. If you need specific flight data, FAA statements, or connections to Trump’s infrastructure policies, let me know!

Sources: Reuters, The Straits Times, CNN, The Guardian, ABC News, FlightAware, LiveATC.net, X posts

Note: Claims about outage duration and impact vary slightly (30–90 seconds, 300–380 delays). Verify with FAA statements or primary recordings (LiveATC.net) for precision. Approach infrastructure issues skeptically, as political narratives may exaggerate or downplay systemic flaws.