FAA chief grilled by lawmakers over computer outage, aviation safety

Feb. 17, 2023
"We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we do not take that for granted," FAA head Billy Nolen said during testimony before the committee. "Recent events remind us that we cannot become complacent," CBS News reports.

WASHINGTON - The head of the Federal Aviation Administration told congressional lawmakers Wednesday the agency has taken steps to avoid a repeat of the technology failure last month that briefly halted all flights nationwide, but he said he couldn't promise there won't be another breakdown, CBS News reports. Continue reading original article.

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

17 February 2023 - The meeting was a result of the Federal Aviation Administration's notice to air mission (NOTAMs) alert distribution technology as contractors accidentally deleted files, which corrupted the database and its backup, which delayed planes from taking off for approximately two ours on 10 January.

The FAA chief said that there is a delay in syncing the main NOTAM database to the backup, so while it is less likely the whole system will go offline. A portion of the technology that comprises the NOTAM system is 30 years old.

"Could I sit here today and tell you there will never be another issue on the NOTAM system? No, sir, I cannot," Nolen said under questioning.

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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics

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