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 ====== Incident ======
+==== Outages ====
+=== January 2023 ===
+== A Corrupted Database Likely Caused the Outage That Delayed Thousands of Flights This Week ==
+Airlines are still recovering from a corrupted file in the Notice to Air Missions system forced the FAA to ground thousands of flights.
+Mack DeGeurin - 12 January 2023
+It turns out a corrupted database file may be all it takes to briefly bring the entire air industry to a standstill.
+In a statement released late Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was still investigating the root cause of a systems error that forced it to dramatically ground all domestic flights for more than a hour Wednesday, but said a corrupted file in its Notice to Air Missions system is likely to blame. That crucial system provides air personnel with critical safety information related to flight operation. Pilots use the Notice to Air Missions system before take off to learn about potential closed runways or other hazards. In other words, it’s something every passenger should really want to work.
+https://gizmodo.com/airlines-ground-stoppage-faa-delayed-flights-1849979684
+== A corrupt file led to the FAA ground stoppage. It was also found in the backup system ==
+Gregory Wallace and Pete Muntean, CNN - Updated 11th January 2023
+Officials are still trying to figure out exactly what led to the Federal Aviation Administration system outage on Wednesday but have traced it to a corrupt file, which was first reported by CNN.
+In a statement late Wednesday, the FAA said it was continuing to investigate the outage and "take all needed steps to prevent this kind of disruption from happening again."
+"Our preliminary work has traced the outage to a damaged database file. At this time, there is no evidence of a cyberattack," the FAA said.
+The FAA is still trying to determine whether any one person or "routine entry" into the database is responsible for the corrupted file, a government official familiar with the investigation into the NOTAM system outage told CNN.
+Another source familiar with the Federal Aviation Administration operation described exclusively to CNN on Wednesday how the outage played out.
+https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/faa-ground-stop-causes/index.html
+== FAA blames 'damaged database file' for major NOTAM outage ==
+A technical glitch led to flights being grounded nationwide.
+Jon Fingas - January 12, 2023 2:30 PM
+There wasn't anything particularly sinister about the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) outage that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to ground US flights on Wednesday — it appears to have been a relatively simple glitch. As part of its early investigation, the FAA has determined that the outage was prompted by a "damaged database file." The agency is still working to identify the exact causes and prevent repeat incidents, but says there's still "no evidence" of a cyberattack.
+The FAA grounded all domestic departures in the US on Wednesday morning after the NOTAM system failed the afternoon before. This was the first such failure in the country, and it prompted hundreds of delays that took hours to resolve. NOTAMs provide important information about potential problems along a flight's path, such as runway closures and temporary airspace restrictions.
+https://www.engadget.com/faa-notam-outage-explanation-193048158.html
+== FAA says computer failure that grounded thousands of flights was caused by 2 contractors who introduced data errors into NOTAM system ==
+Alan Levin and Bloomberg - January 13, 2023 at 2:32 AM PST
+The computer failure that prompted a halt of all US flight departures was caused when a data file was damaged as a result of a failure to follow government procedures, the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday.
+Unspecified “personnel” were responsible for corrupting the file, which led to the outage of an FAA computer system that sends safety notices to pilots, the agency said in a statement. That triggered the FAA to order a halt to all US departing flights, causing thousands of delays and cancellations Wednesday.
+“The system is functioning properly and cancellations today were below 1%,” the agency said.
+The preliminary indications are that two people working for a contractor introduced errors into the core data used on the system known as Notice to Air Missions, or Notam, according to a person familiar with the FAA review. The person asked not to be identified speaking about the sensitive, ongoing issue.
+Notams are advisories to pilots on safety-critical conditions at airports and other areas aircraft might traverse, including everything from warnings about bird activity to runway construction.
+Like other computer systems that are critical to operating flights, the FAA has imposed procedures to ensure data aren’t damaged by technicians working on them, said the person. The file or files were altered in spite of rules that prohibit those kind of changes on a live system.
+https://fortune.com/2023/01/13/faa-computer-failure-grounded-thousands-flights-caused-2-contractors-introduced-data-errors-notam-system/
+== An aviation expert explains how the FAA’s critical NOTAM safety system works ==
+This is why planes can't fly when NOTAM goes down.
+Brian Strzempkowski, The Conversation - 1/14/2023, 3:50 AM
+<blockquote>
+Late in the evening of Jan. 10, 2023, an important digital system known as NOTAM run by the Federal Aviation Administration went offline. The FAA was able to continue getting necessary information to pilots overnight using a phone-based backup, but the stopgap couldn’t keep up with the morning rush of flights, and on Jan. 11, 2022, the FAA grounded all commercial flights in the U.S. In total, nearly 7,000 flights were canceled. Brian Strzempkowksi is the interim director of the Center for Aviation Studies at The Ohio State University and a commercial pilot, flight instructor and dispatcher. He explains what the NOTAM system is and why planes can’t fly if the system goes down.
+</blockquote>
+What is NOTAM?
+Aviation is full of acronyms, and Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, is one acronym that pilots learn early on in their training. A NOTAM is quite simply a message that is disseminated to flight crews of every aircraft in the US.
+The NOTAM system is a computer network run by the Federal Aviation Administration that provides real-time updates to crews about situations relating to weather, infrastructure, ground conditions or anything else that may affect the safety of flight. Trained professionals—like air traffic controllers, airport managers, airport operations personnel, and FAA personnel in charge of national airspace infrastructure—can access the system and enter any information they need to share broadly.
+Pilots, air traffic controllers, and anyone else who needs to know about flying conditions can access the NOTAM system and make appropriate changes to planned flights. It’s similar to checking the traffic on your phone or on the local news before you head to work in the morning. A traffic report will inform you of potential hazards or backups on the roadways that may lead you take a different route to work.
+https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/01/an-aviation-expert-explains-how-the-faas-critical-notam-safety-system-works/
+== FAA's NOTAM computer outage affected military flights ==
+The data file that triggered the incident was corrupted by contractors.
+Mariella Moon - January 14, 2023 10:55 AM
+On January 11th, the Federal Aviation Administration paused all domestic departures in the US after its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system failed. The agency later revealed that the outage was caused by a database file that was damaged by "personnel who failed to follow procedures." Now, according to a new report from The Washington Post, the database failure also created issues for tools used by US military pilots.
+One of the affected systems was the Defense Internet NOTAM Service (DINS), which typically comes with FAA alerts regarding flight hazards. During the outage, military pilots were either getting NOTAMs in duplicates or not getting any at all. The Post said an FAA bulletin notified military users that the system had become "impaired and unreliable." Unlike civilian flights, which had to be grounded, military flights can proceed in situations like this. An Air Force spokesperson told the outlet that the military branch's pilots had to call around to ask for potential flight hazards themselves.
+https://www.engadget.com/faa-notam-computer-outage-affected-even-military-flights-155514704.html
+== FAA Says Contractor Unintentionally Caused Outage That Disrupted Flights ==
+Posted by msmash on Friday January 20, 2023 06:43AM
+The Federal Aviation Administration has said that a contractor working for the air-safety regulator had unintentionally deleted computer files used in a pilot-alert system, leading to an outage that disrupted U.S. air traffic last week. From a report:
+<blockquote>
+The agency, which declined to identify the contractor, said its personnel were working to correctly synchronize two databases -- a main one and a backup -- used for the alert system when the files were unintentionally deleted. The FAA said it had taken steps to prevent a recurrence of the outage in the system used for collecting and distributing the alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions, or Notams. "The agency has so far found no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent," the FAA said late Thursday in a statement outlining preliminary findings in its continuing investigation. The FAA said that it had made necessary repairs to the system and has taken steps to make it more resilient.
+</blockquote>
+https://news.slashdot.org/story/23/01/20/1452248/faa-says-contractor-unintentionally-caused-outage-that-disrupted-flights
+== The FAA grounded all US flights because contractors mistakenly deleted files ==
+They were in the midst of synchronizing databases, the agency revealed.
+Mariella Moon - January 20, 2023 5:20 AM
+The contractors working on the Federal Aviation Administration's NOTAM system apparently deleted files by accident, leading to the delays and cancellations of thousands of US flights. If you'll recall, the FAA paused all domestic departures in the US on the morning of January 11th, because its NOTAM or Notice to Air Missions system had failed. NOTAMs typically contain important information for pilots, including warnings for potential hazards along a flight's route, flight restrictions and runway closures.
+While the FAA only paused departures on the 11th, US flights were already being pushed back the day before after the outage occurred at around 3:28PM ET. The issue even had an impact on military flights that partly relied on FAA NOTAMs: Pilots reportedly had to call around to ask for potential flight hazards themselves.
+https://www.engadget.com/faa-notam-outage-files-deleted-102006495.html
+== Massive outage grounded US flights because someone accidentally deleted a file ==
+Our lives are in your hands, and you have butterfingers?
+Brandon Vigliarolo - Sat 21 Jan 2023 01:15 UTC
+The US Federal Aviation Administration says its preliminary investigation of last week's system outage that caused the first nationwide grounding of flights since September 11, 2001, has uncovered the cause: contractors accidentally deleted some essential files.
+Oops.
+In its first word on the outage since January 11, the day the FAA's Notice to Air Mission Systems (NOTAM) went offline, the agency said contract personnel were working to correct a synchronization issue between the live primary database and a backup copy. In the process, some incorrect keys were apparently pressed and more than 11,000 flights were grounded.
+NOTAMs are notices of changes that may affect flight plans, like construction, weather or other emergencies. Pilots on long-haul flights can be stuck reading through hundreds of pages of NOTAMs before taking off; in short, they're pretty essential.
+The outage last week was relatively brief, and only saw flights due to take off in a roughly three-hour window delayed or canceled before the FAA said everything was restored at 0900 Eastern Time.
+https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/21/faa_outage_reasons/
+== The Morning After: The FAA grounded all US flights due to mistakenly deleted files ==
+We've all done it, right?
+Mat Smith - January 23, 2023 7:15 AM
+The FAA paused all domestic departures in the US on the morning of January 11th because its NOTAM or Notice to Air Missions system failed. Now we know why: deleted files. Contractors working on the Federal Aviation Administration's NOTAM system, it seems, deleted some crucial files by accident. This resulted in delays and cancellations of thousands of US flights. The issue even impacted military flights that partly relied on FAA NOTAMs: Pilots reportedly had to call around to ask for potential flight hazards.
+Apparently, its contractors were synchronizing a main and a back-up database when they "unintentionally deleted files" that turned out to be necessary to keep the alert system running. The FAA reiterated it has "so far found no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent." We’ve all accidentally deleted a file, sure. It’s just never grounded the flights of an entire country.
+https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-faa-grounded-all-us-flights-due-to-mistakenly-deleted-files-121557374.html
+== Aviation overhaul bill passes US House... for the third time ==
+Maybe it'll be different this year as clamors of 'I told you so' accompany the proposal
+Brandon Vigliarolo - Thu 26 Jan 2023 18:04 UTC
+The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to advance a bill that would create a task force to improve the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system that was at the heart of the nationwide flight grounding earlier this month.
+Don't go thinking that NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023 will guarantee action, though. The bill's sponsor, Minnesota Republican Representative Pete Stauber, has introduced the same bill for the past two congressional sessions.
+NOTAMs are used to relay last-minute information to flight crews that could affect their routes, like a change in conditions at an airport, a surprise storm or other phenomena that endanger the flight.
+The 2021 and 2019 versions both passed the House as well, but fizzled out once they reached the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. This year, though, things are a bit different – the US just had its first nationwide flight grounding since September 11, 2001.
+The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was forced to ground all US departures for several hours on January 11 because NOTAM went offline. The cause was later revealed to be a pretty serious mistake on the part of some contractors working to fix a synchronization issue between the live and backup copies of the database.
+In the process of working on their "fix," said contractors grounded 11,000 flights by deleting some rather important files. Per Reuters, the FAA identified the contractors as being from IT services firm Spatial Front, which The Register contacted for confirmation, but hasn't heard back.
+The FAA said in a letter to lawmakers seen by the newswire that all Spatial Front employees directly involved in the deletion had their access to FAA buildings and systems terminated.
+https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/26/notam_overhaul_passes_house/
+== FAA Says Computer System Update Should Prevent Another Glitch That Grounded 11,000 Planes ==
+The FAA announced an update to its pilot-alert system as lawmakers also look at ways to study and modernize the database.
+Nikki Main - 30 January 2023
+The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has implemented computer system changes to combat outages like the one that occurred on January 11, resulting in more than 11,000 flight disruptions.
+Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen wrote a letter outlining the changes. In the letter obtained by Reuters, Nolen said that the FAA introduced a one-hour delay for database synchronization, which he said should prevent any inaccurate file alerts from immediately reaching the backup database.
+https://gizmodo.com/faa-notam-airlines-ground-stop-1850049706
+== US warns aging air-traffic control code won't be fixed until 2030 ==
+NOTAM chance in hell this stuff is getting sorted soon despite outage
+Brandon Vigliarolo - Tue 7 Feb 2023 20:30 UTC
+The aging computer system that was behind the grounding of flights across the US last month will need until 2030 to be fully upgraded, the Federal Aviation Administration said, leaving US government leaders questioning why.
+On January 11 the FAA grounded all domestic aircraft for the first time since the 2001 terrorist attacks when its Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) servers, which provide critical information to pilots and air crews about flight safety or route planning, went down. The issue was traced, as it so often is, to someone deleting the wrong file, but fixing this apparently takes a lot of time.
+Politicians were predictably outraged. In hearings before the Congressional Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Tuesday, several representatives referred to the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) as outdated, while Colin Allred (D-TX) said 2030 was an "unacceptably long time" to wait for improvements.
+https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/07/faa_notam_air_traffic/
@@ Line 463: / Line 663: @@
 https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/09/floppy_disks_and_paper_strips/
+== FAA To Eliminate Floppy Disks Used In Air Traffic Control Systems ==
+Posted by BeauHD on Monday June 09, 2025 08:30PM
+An anonymous reader quotes a report from Tom's Hardware:
+<blockquote>
+The head of the Federal Aviation Administration just outlined an ambitious goal to upgrade the U.S.'s air traffic control (ATC) system and bring it into the 21st century. According to NPR, most ATC towers and other facilities today feel like they're stuck in the 20th century, with controllers using paper strips and floppy disks to transfer data, while their computers run Windows 95. While this likely saved them from the disastrous CrowdStrike outage that had a massive global impact, their age is a major risk to the nation's critical infrastructure, with the FAA itself saying that the current state of its hardware is unsustainable.
+"The whole idea is to replace the system. No more floppy disks or paper strips," acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau told the House Appropriations Committee last Wednesday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also said earlier this week," This is the most important infrastructure project that we've had in this country for decades. Everyone agrees -- this is non-partisan. Everyone knows we have to do it." The aviation industry put up a coalition pushing for ATC modernization called Modern Skies, and it even ran an ad telling us that ATC is still using floppy disks and several older technologies to keep our skies safe. [...]
+Currently, the White House hasn't said what this update will cost. The FAA has already put out a Request For Information to gather data from companies willing to take on the challenge of upgrading the entire system. It also announced several 'Industry Days' so companies can pitch their tech and ideas to the Transportation Department. Duffy said that the Transportation Department aims to complete the project within four years. However, industry experts say this timeline is unrealistic. No matter how long it takes, it's high time that the FAA upgrades the U.S.'s ATC system today after decades of neglect.
+</blockquote>
+https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/06/09/2249232/faa-to-eliminate-floppy-disks-used-in-air-traffic-control-systems