Communication failure at Denver air traffic control caused by ‘overlapping outages,’ FAA says

A communications failure that caused pilots flying near Denver International Airport to lose contact with air traffic control for almost two minutes in May occurred because of overlapping equipment outages federal administrators declared Wednesday Related Articles Nearly flights delayed at DIA amid early morning storms FAA ground stop More than flights delayed at DIA amid thunderstorms FAA ground delays DIA on ground stop for high winds hundreds of flights delayed More than DIA flights delayed canceled as thunderstorms hit Colorado s Front Range NTSB finds fuel leak and improperly installed parts in the engine of an airliner that caught fire in Denver The concern at the Denver Air Direction Traffic Control Center in Longmont was caused by overlapping outages to radio transmitters and circuits Federal Aviation Administration representatives disclosed in a announcement When the transmitters went down air traffic controllers used another frequency to communicate instructions to pilots and all aircraft remained safely separated federal agents stated after the May outage The transmitters were replaced and the circuits were repaired after the occurrence the agency reported Air traffic controllers at the Longmont facility oversee planes flying through miles of airspace over nine states including portions of Wyoming Kansas Utah Nebraska New Mexico South Dakota and Arizona The May outage sparked national attention as the FAA faces increased scrutiny after several high-profile plane crashes and mishaps Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter