Radar System Fails, Airports Shift to Backup

A new radar system that guides aircraft in and out of Southern California’s major airports failed briefly because of a computer glitch but was replaced by a backup system, an FAA official said Wednesday.

The Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control, known as TRACON, was inoperative for 11 minutes beginning at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, said Tim Pile, a public affairs officer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Seattle.

The radar system is based in San Diego but serves all major Southern California airports, including those in Los Angeles, Burbank, Ontario, Long Beach and Orange County. The system is responsible for controlling airplanes at lower altitudes during descent and takeoff.

The FAA installed new computer software for the radar system Sept. 14, Pile said. For some reason, there was a computer glitch and it quit working on Tuesday until technicians could restart it. The problem is under investigation. A backup system was operating for the entire 11 minutes, he said.

“There was no time that they did not have radar contact,” Pile said. “What they didn’t have was the new, state-of-the-art automated radar server, but they had backup service.”

Pile said he believed it was the first time the system had failed in Southern California.

Six airplanes bound for Los Angeles International Airport were held briefly while technicians worked on the problem Tuesday. However, there were no “reportable delays,” which would require an interruption of more than 15 minutes before landing.