Radar Troubles Cause Flight Delays at John Wayne Airport : Transportation: Pilots and controllers rely on backup system, and passengers were not in danger. FAA spokesman says it’s the first time in memory that video mapping system alone had failed.

A video radar system that helps air traffic controllers guide aircraft in and out of John Wayne Airport failed for nearly two hours Sunday afternoon, forcing pilots and controllers to rely on a backup system and causing delays here and across the country, officials said.

Air passengers were not in danger and the Federal Aviation Administration received no reports of any unusual incidents, said Hank Verbais, a spokesman for the FAA. But Verbais said the incident was the first time in memory that the video mapping system alone had failed.

The controllers’ “video mapping system”--used when aircraft are below 7,000 feet--failed at 11:10 a.m. Sunday as a result of an undetermined problem at the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, Verbais said. When aircraft over Southern California reach the 7,000-foot level, they are guided by a control center in Palmdale, he said.

The problems forced pilots to land at John Wayne using a visual system and controllers to calculate their approaches by plotting speed and location, Verbais said.

“They depended on the last known position of the aircraft and time and distance positions,” Verbais said. “Pilots would call in over certain navigational landmarks.” Verbais said controllers are trained in using the backup system, which he said “worked as advertised.”

But the problem, which did not occur at other Southern California airports, caused an undetermined number of delays here and elsewhere as controllers allowed more time between takeoffs and landings to ensure safety, Verbais said.

He said he had no information on the number of planes delayed or the average length of delay. An official with America West airlines at John Wayne, which had about 15 flights in and out of the airport Sunday, said the airline suffered delays of both inbound and outbound flights for several hours.

Airport Manager Jan Mittermeier said the problem “created quite a backup” but could offer no specifics on the delays.

According to Verbais, the video mapping system went down at 11:10 a.m., came back into service at 12:48 p.m., failed again at 12:55 p.m. and was repaired for good at 1:51 p.m.