FAA Cites Contractor's Error in System Outage

Facts

• The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that a contractor's error is what caused the glitch in the agency's "Notice to Air Missions" database on Jan. 11 that led to over 11K flight delays and 1.3K cancellations.
• The FAA said that the contractor "unintentionally deleted files" and then the issue began when contract staff was working to "correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database."
• The announcement comes after the FAA previously cited a "damaged database file" for the system failure that prompted US lawmakers last week to label the outage as "completely unacceptable." They demanded a solution to prevent any future outages.
• The agency's investigation also found no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent, adding that it has since taken steps to make the computer system more resilient.
• The glitch — which affected a system used to alert pilots to pre-flight hazards like runway closures, weather, and construction issues — led to the first nationwide grounding of all planes since 9/11.

Sources: Republic World, Daily Beast, BBC News, CNN, and Reuters.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by USA Today. With over 29K commercial flights across the US every day, the safety record has been almost flawless and is demonstrated by the rarity of major or serious incidents. The US regulatory system has ensured that flight and aircraft safety is the best in the world, which is a direct result of the regulations established by the FAA. The US shouldn't become complacent — it has come to expect a platinum level of safety and efficiency as the norm.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Vox. Blaming a single contractor for the breakdown of its antiquated computer system is shameful given that the FAA was ruining air travel long before last week's system outage. Requirements such as mandatory 10-hour breaks for flight attendants between flights are what's causing the daily delays faced by Americans. The entire agency and system are broken, so don't scapegoat a single contractor for the government's incompetence.