A shocking audio recording from air traffic control has provided a glimpse into the tense moments when controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey lost radar and radio signals while managing air traffic. The incident, which occurred on April 28, lasted approximately 90 seconds, leaving controllers unable to monitor, communicate with, or guide the aircraft under their control. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NTCA) confirmed the event, noting that the FAA’s operations in Philadelphia had ‘temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them.’
The audio captures the initial moments of controllers learning of an outage at Philadelphia TRACON/ATCT. As the situation unfolded, one controller stated, ‘There is some equipment outages, so I don’t know what exactly the equipment is, but they’re having some frequency issues, and then the radar scopes are out, so they can’t have anyone depart right now.’ This highlighted the immediate challenges faced by the team, with several radar screens going black and communication frequencies being unavailable.
Another controller remarked, ‘I am going to move you here because I just got told that the approach lost all the radars. Three of the four radar screens went black and they have no frequencies,’ indicating the severity of the situation. The audio also shows controllers attempting to get more information about the outage, with one asking, ‘Any idea how long the departure delay is going to be?’ to which another replied, ‘I have no idea. We’re still waiting on word from Newark TRACON.’
The incident predated massive delays and cancellations at the New Jersey travel hub, which has been ongoing since Thursday. In a statement obtained by FOX Business, the FAA addressed the staffing shortages that have contributed to the issue. ‘While we cannot quickly replace [the controllers who have left] due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace,’ the agency said Monday. ‘When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport. We will keep the public updated as we work through these issues.’
Politicians and lawmakers have also weighed in on the situation. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democratic representative, blamed former President Donald Trump for the Newark airport chaos, accusing the White House of ‘breaking the FAA.’ Meanwhile, others have called for systemic improvements in the FAA’s infrastructure and operational protocols to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.