L'IFPS américain tombe en rade

Operations at an air traffic control center in Hampton were back to normal in the morning, a day after a software glitch snarled flight plan processing and delayed hundreds of airline flights nationwide.

The troubles began around 1:30 p.m., when the regional center in Hampton, which processes flight plans for the eastern half of the country, had an unprecedented computer glitch. The problems quickly hop-scotched across the country, snarling big-city airports well into the night.

The most serious problems occurred at Logan International in Boston; O’Hare and Midway in Chicago; and at Hartsfield-Jackson.

The flight plans processed at the center contain information such as the departure and arrival points, the type of aircraft, the route, the name of the pilot ( ben voyons avec la couleur de ses yeux !) and the number of people on board. Virtually all commercial flights operate under such flight plans.

The FAA shifted flight plan processing to a backup system in Salt Lake City, which generally shares the load with the Hampton facility.

In some cases, flight plans had to be re-filed before aircraft could take off. The backup system in Salt Lake City became overloaded. And with airplanes waiting to take off, the ground congestion delayed incoming flights.

Le même type de problème a déjà eu lieu au même endroit avec les même effets en juin 2007.