Air Traffic Controllers Go On Stress Leave After Losing Radar Contact w/ Newark-Bound Planes

Air Traffic Controllers Go On Stress Leave After Losing Radar Contact w/ Newark-Bound Planes

Some air traffic controllers are now on trauma leave after losing radar and communication with incoming planes, causing major delays at Newark Liberty Airport.

The issue began on April 28 when controllers at Philadelphia TRACON, who manage Newark’s airspace, “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said.

 

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Air traffic audio from the outage, obtained by CNN, captured a controller telling a pilot:

“We don’t have a radar, so I don’t know where you are.”

The FAA called it a total “connectivity failure” between radar and radio frequencies, and confirmed that “some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON… have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer has called for an investigation into the matter, saying,

“The chaos at Newark could very well be a harbinger if issues like these aren’t fixed.”

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