Outdated FAA Tech Pushes U.S. Air Traffic Control Toward Crisis, CNN Finds

Long before the dramatic communications blackout at Newark Liberty International Airport sparked national attention, air traffic controllers across the United States were already grappling with repeated failures in radar and radio systems. These issues, which have persisted for years, have at times forced controllers and pilots into life-threatening situations, including near-collisions and emergency landings made without radio contact. In one 2023 incident in Tampa, a controller lost all communication as two planes neared each other on a collision course, and in 2022, a controller in Indiana was unable to assist a plane with a blown-off door because the communication systems failed.

A CNN investigation found more than 40 similar reports submitted to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System since 2022, indicating a deeply rooted and widespread issue. These incidents were not isolated but occurred across various airports and control centers. The reports reveal a national pattern of unreliable and outdated technology that stretches well beyond Newark. In response to these issues, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledged the shortcomings of its aging infrastructure. With over 74,000 pieces of equipment in use, the FAA relies on built-in redundancies and contingency plans, but these safety nets are increasingly proving insufficient.

CNN’s analysis of thousands of public FAA alerts and daily operations reports from last year revealed that radar, radio, and frequency issues were noted nearly every other day. Many of these advisories were vague but consistently cited “equipment/outage” as the root cause. Although some of these led to ground stops and delays, the true scope of danger remains difficult to gauge due to a lack of transparency. Former FAA controller Dave Riley emphasized that such frequent issues are unacceptable and should never be something passengers have to consider when boarding a flight.

Margaret Wallace, a former Air Force controller and current assistant professor at Florida Institute of Technology, criticized the state of the communications infrastructure. She noted that much of the equipment in use dates back to the early 1990s—unchanged for decades—despite the massive growth in air traffic and advancements in technology elsewhere. Wallace warned that although backup systems often prevent disaster, they too are outdated and strained, making the risk of failure higher than it should be.

Equipment Failures Increase Controller Stress and Raise Serious Safety Concerns Nationwide

Outages don’t just threaten operations—they also add significant mental and physical strain on air traffic controllers. When communication or radar systems fail, controllers are forced to shift their focus from managing aircraft to fixing technical problems, all while under intense pressure. Aaron Whittle, a former Air Force controller and now a professor at Utah State University, explained that even seasoned professionals can struggle when they’re forced to handle both aircraft and malfunctioning equipment at the same time. These distractions increase the likelihood of mistakes that could result in serious incidents.

Many controllers have used NASA’s reporting system to warn of serious threats, but they often feel ignored. A series of reports from the Miami area between 2021 and 2023 detailed simultaneous failures of both radar and radios during high-traffic times. One controller warned in 2021 that it was only through drastic and improvised actions that a disaster was avoided. Another report from 2023 urged that the facility be shut down until its equipment could be replaced, describing recent outages as “very dangerous” and unacceptable for a profession where safety must be paramount.

Other facilities like the Albuquerque and Tampa air traffic control centers have also faced ongoing issues. Reports from Albuquerque describe persistent failures in radio transmitters, with controllers frequently struggling to reach pilots. One controller described the situation as “totally unsafe,” warning that it was only a matter of time before an accident occurred. The failures are particularly dangerous in geographically complex regions like Albuquerque, where mountainous terrain makes reliable communication even more essential.

FAA’s Reporting System Lacks Accountability as Modernization Faces Delays and Funding Challenges

The FAA and NASA’s voluntary reporting program is designed to surface potential safety issues before they escalate. However, former FAA employees and controllers argue that the system lacks enforcement and accountability. Riley noted that despite the volume and severity of these reports, it often feels like the FAA is unresponsive, especially when similar warnings emerge repeatedly from the same high-risk locations. While safety analysts review every report, the agency has not clearly explained how it uses this data to drive improvements.

Following the Newark incident in May 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pledged a sweeping modernization of the air traffic control system by 2028. The plan includes replacing thousands of outdated radios and hundreds of radar systems, and building new control centers. However, Duffy acknowledged that such an effort requires billions in congressional funding, and even if secured, implementation will take years. Until then, aviation professionals worry about what might happen during the next unexpected failure.

Despite all these issues, commercial aviation in the U.S. remains statistically safe—a testament to the skill of air traffic controllers and pilots. Still, experts like Timothy Johnson Sr., a former Air Force training manager, say the reports clearly show “systemic weaknesses.” With rising traffic, limited staff, and crumbling infrastructure, every outage pushes the system closer to a potential catastrophe. As Riley warned, when all the fail-safes break down at once—as they almost did in Newark—the margin for error disappears, and the consequences can be fatal.