FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center
ATCSCC ADVZY 006 DCC 06/29/2012 MDW AIRPORT_FYI
MESSAGE:
MDW AIRPORT IS CLOSED DUE TO ALL AIRPORT LIGHTING OUT OF SERVICE. BACKUP POWER ALSO FAILED. UPDATE AT 0400Z.
EFFECTIVE TIME: 290214 - 290400
SIGNATURE: 12/06/29 02:16
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So the lights quit at 815pm local time (2+ hours ago). The FAA, for their many weaknesses, posted it immediately and NOTAM’d the field closed:
http://www.fly.faa.gov/ois/
MDW tower is currently the #2 busiest feed (normally not even in the top 50). Sounded a lot like the monkey and the proverbial football, although starting to calm-down now with lotsa “we need an escort back to the gate and are going to cancel for the night”:
http://www.liveatc.net/flisten.php?m...mdw4&icao=kmdw
I wonder how many diversions went to other stations…. Friday morning startup certainly can’t be pretty.
Southwest Airlines, on the other hand, is silent. They’ve posted nothing on their web site, nothing on Facebook, and nothing on Twitter (other than the nonsense re: their silly TV “show”).
Gary Kelley could at least make an effort to HIRE someone that can get a clue, since they obviously don’t teach such handy talents at CPA school.