Mystery Glitch Cancels 492 Flights, Thousands Left Stranded

Although planes are finally getting back in the air, the FAA is still troubleshooting software glitch that grounded flights over the weekend.

A widespread air traffic control outage cancelled hundreds of flights over the weekend, grounding thousands of travelers on the East Coast. Although airports have since resumed normal operations, the FAA is still trying to determine the cause of Saturday’s glitch.

The Washington Post reports, per FAA statistics, the system outage caused 492 delays and 476 cancellations.

The core of the problem reportedly revolved around a Leesburg, Va. air traffic control center. The Guardian reports the situation began when workers tried to install an upgrade on a flight control automation system. Even though the upgrade was intended to offer air traffic controllers more tools, the failed software instead caused the air traffic control center to shut down, creating a ripple effect across the Eastern Seaboard.

Although the situation was resolved by 4 p.m. ET, thousands of flyers were already displaced by the software crash. Those stranded used the hashtag #flypocalypse on social media as they expressed their frustrations with the ordeal.

A spokesperson for the FAA says the agency is working with airlines to mitigate the situation. According to the FAA, the software caused the system outage, but there was “no indication that the problem is related to any inherent problems with the En Route Automation Modernization [ERAM] system, which has had a greater than 99.99 availability rate since it was completed nationwide earlier this year.”

[Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images via The Washington Post]