Morning Backups Likely To Affect Traffic All Day

Officials at Chicago's O'Hare International say the airport's ASR-9 radar went down early this morning causing flight delays up to 45 minutes.

The problems started around 3:30 CST when the radar failed completely. Crews got the system working again around 09:00 CST, but it failed again by 10:00 CST. By the time the radar was operational again at 11:40 CST, the damage to air traffic had already been done.

Technicians tracked the problem to a faulty switch.

Controllers at the airport usually handle up to 96 planes per hour, but officials cut the number to 60 because of the equipment outage.

FAA spokesmen say controllers were able to use a backup radar that also serves Midway Airport, but that system has limited capability. The radar, situated in the south of Chicago, doesn't give complete coverage to the north. Nor does it allow for simultaneous approaches.

The cutback on the number of flights per hour translated to a 30- 45 minute delay for most flights coming and going at the airport. The effects were felt across the system as flights around the country adjusted.

General aviation airports in the area such as Chicago Executive and Waukegan Regional also experienced delays as controllers struggled with the balky radar.

FAA officials say kinks in the system will iron themselves out as things catch up at O'Hare.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ohare.com