We'd Like To Add The Check Is In The Mail, Too

It now appears the snarling of air traffic within 250 miles of Memphis, TN Tuesday was caused by a problem phone line... and the FAA says you may thank AT&T for that.

Acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell told a House aviation subcommittee the equipment failure was due to a "BellSouth/AT&T problem," and the agency was working with the phone company to work out the snag.

"The service disruption was a result of equipment failure ... (and) the company is conducting a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause," AT&T said in response to Sturgell's comments, reports the Associated Press.

No additional equipment was available to cover for the glitch, the phone company added.

As ANN reported, the communications failure at Memphis Center resulted in the grounding of all airline flights within 250 miles of Memphis for about three hours.

The ripple effect of delays led to delays, diversions and cancellations as far away as Miami and Phoenix.

In a statement to ANN Tuesday, National Air Traffic Controllers Association spokesman Doug Church said controllers used their personal cell phones to communicate with other centers, to clear air traffic from the area.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.att.com, www.bellsouth.com