The FAA’s nationwide ground stop on November 13 followed communication problems at multiple air traffic control centers, according to its preliminary statement.
In a November 14 briefing, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy linked the disruption to L3Harris replacing copper telecommunications links with fiber at a remote FAA site. A router generated more than 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds, disrupting aircraft communications and radar feeds.
Investigators had not determined whether installation error or faulty equipment caused the failure. Duffy said systems recovered after officials isolated the work and that he did not believe a cyberattack was responsible. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford separately said there was no evidence of malicious activity or AI involvement.
Airspace reopened, although delays and cancellations continued. Bedford distinguished the maintenance from the separate modernization program, while Duffy said work schedules would be reconsidered.
For infrastructure teams, the incident illustrates why routine changes need safeguards that contain failures before they spread across dependent systems.
