Fergie's Tech Blog

Computer Glitch In Virginia Delays Northeastern U.S. Flights

An AP newswire article, via The Boston Globe, reports that:

Flights from airports across the Northeast were delayed Saturday by a computer glitch at an air traffic control center in Virginia that handles high-altitude flights.

The main computer at the Washington "en route" center shut down at about 4:45 p.m. for about 10 minutes, said Jim Peters, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

It was not clear how many flights were delayed, and nobody was ever in danger, Peters said.

A backup radar system handled traffic already airborne, but while the computer was down, airports from Virginia to New England were ordered to hold traffic on the ground.

posted by Fergie @ 4/12/2008 04:05:00 PM