Microsoft software implicated in air traffic shutdown
Published: 17 Sep 2004 17:25 BST
A bug in a Microsoft system compounded by human error was ultimately responsible for a three-hour radio breakdown that left hundreds of aircraft aloft without guidance on Tuesday, according to a report in the LA Times.
Nearly all of Southern California's airports were shut down, and five incidents where aircraft broke separation guidelines were reported. In one case, a pilot had to take evasive action.
The newspaper said that a Microsoft-based replacement for an older Unix system needed to be reset every thirty days 'to prevent data overload', as a result of problems found when the system was first rolled out. However, a technician failed to perform the reset at the right time, and an internal clock within the system subsequently shut it down. A back-up system also failed.
Richard Riggs, an advisor to the technicians union, said the FAA – the American aviation regulator -- had been planning to fix the program for some time. "They should have done it before they fielded the system," he said. To prevent a reoccurrence of the problem before the software glitch is fixed, Laura Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, said the agency plans to install a system that would issue a warning well before shutdown.
Microsoft UK was not immediately able to comment.
Click here to read the original LA Times report (registration required).
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13 comments
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I have two basic questions on this case:
1) In US... Lupa -
in answer to question 1 look at this
http://w... Anonymous -
The article mentions a problem that occurs af... Anonymous
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Aside from all of the why use microsoft... Anonymous -
This story implies that this was a problem caused... Marty Fried
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Regardless of whether or not a microsoft operating... Anonymous
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I am not sure if they are using windows 2003 serve... Ken
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Since you have to reboot the system, that's a... Anonymous
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HI guy
do you know that in France the ticket reser... Anonymous
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I can't believe that this reporter (and I use the... Steven Farnsworth
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This is just another example of how the idiocy and... Anonymous
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Sounds like PPP ( Piss Poor Planning ) Never put a... Anonymous
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windows should never have been used for this - wha... Lee Williams
