FAA Grounds All U.S. Flights; Cause Unknown

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a complete nationwide ground stop of all commercial and private flights Friday afternoon, citing an unexplained failure in air traffic control communications systems. Officials said the cause remains under investigation.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that Air Route Traffic Control Centers across the country experienced simultaneous disruptions beginning shortly after midday. “We are dealing with a significant communications anomaly,” Duffy said in a brief statement. “Technicians are working to restore full functionality. The safety of the flying public is our only priority.”

Flights already airborne were permitted to land, but no new departures were allowed. Airports from Boston to Los Angeles reported long lines of grounded aircraft and stranded passengers. The agency described the interruption as “extraordinary” and said it had no immediate timeline for lifting the restriction.

Early reports indicated the problem originated in the radio frequency systems used by controllers to speak with pilots. Multiple centers, including those in New York, Chicago, and Atlanta, went silent nearly at the same time. Microsoft’s ongoing global outage was ruled out as a factor. Cybersecurity officials said there was no evidence of a deliberate attack.

Sources familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, later provided a more precise account. According to these sources, the cascade began when a highly animated man approached a critical console, looked around the room, and said, “Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue.” He then calmly pulled a single plug from the main panel.

Witnesses reported the man continued speaking as the systems went dark. “Surely you can’t be serious,” one controller said in response. The man replied, “I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.” He gestured toward the now-silent equipment and added, “It’s an entirely different kind of flying, altogether.”

The plug has not been reinserted. FAA officials declined to comment on the specific sequence of events, repeating only that the cause is “still under review.” The agency has requested additional funding for system modernization.

As of late Friday, the ground stop remained in effect.