Fri, Oct 02, 2015
Finds FAA’s Contingency Plans And Security Protocols Were Insufficient At Chicago Air Traffic Control Facilities
The Department of Transportation Inspector General (IG) has released a report requested by Senator Richard J. Durbin and Representatives Bill Foster, Mike Quigley, Tammy Duckworth, Jan Schakowsky, and Dan Lipinski following an investigation into circumstances surrounding a fire at an Air Traffic Control Center in Chicago last year.
According to the report's executive summary, on September 26, 2014, an FAA contract employee deliberately started a fire that destroyed critical equipment at FAA’s Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora, IL. As a result of the damage, Chicago Center was unable to control air traffic for more than 2 weeks, thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled, and aviation stakeholders reportedly lost over $350 million.
The IG's office found that the contingency plans developed by FAA did not adequately address redundancy or resiliency and were insufficient to quickly restore operations after the Chicago fire. Moreover, the damage highlighted weaknesses in FAA’s current air traffic control infrastructure, which has limited flexibility to respond to system failures. In addition, the security protocols in effect at the time of the fire were insufficient to identify, counter, or mitigate the impact of an insider threat. While FAA has completed reviews of its contingency plans and security protocols following the incident, significant work remains to prevent or mitigate the impact of similar events in the future.
The IG made seven recommendations to help FAA improve redundancy and resiliency in the National Airspace System and implement improvements to its operational contingency plans and security protocols. FAA concurred with all seven, and the IG said in the report executive summary that they are considered resolved but open pending completion of planned actions.
More News
Aero Linx: Model Aeronautical Association of Australia MAAA clubs are about fun flying, camaraderie and community. For over 75 years, the MAAA has been Australia’s largest fl>[...]
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Student Pilot Reported That During Rotation, “All Of A Sudden The Back Of The Plane Kicked To The Right..." Analysis: The student pilot reported that during rotation, “>[...]