Investigators are conducting extensive tests on two routers linked to the Federal Aviation Administration’s nationwide ground stop on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is currently no indication that a foreign cyberattack caused the disruption, although federal law enforcement agencies remain involved. The outage halted air traffic for more than four hours and contributed to disruptions affecting roughly 15,000 flights over Friday and Saturday. Officials said passenger safety justified the decision to stop flights while communications and radar systems showed inconsistencies.
Contractor L3Harris is carrying out deep diagnostic testing at its Florida headquarters with assistance from FAA, Juniper and Cisco engineers. The routers were recovered from remote facilities in Texas and Arkansas after a project to replace aging copper wiring with fiber-optic technology produced intermittent communications and radar gaps.
Article Subheadings
| 1) | Investigators examine routers tied to the outage |
| 2) | Officials find no evidence of a foreign cyberattack |
| 3) | Flight disruptions continue after the nationwide stop |
| 4) | Aging FAA telecommunications infrastructure remains under scrutiny |
| 5) | Officials outline the expected recovery and funding debate |
Investigators examine routers tied to the outage
L3Harris secured two routers from remote FAA facilities in Texas and Arkansas and transported them to its headquarters in Florida. The contractor is conducting deep diagnostic testing with engineers from the FAA, Juniper and Cisco. The equipment is being examined to determine whether a defective router or an installation problem caused the communications failure.
The investigation follows work to replace older copper wiring with fiber-optic technology in the FAA communications system. Officials have not announced a final technical finding, and federal partners continue to review the equipment and the installation process.
Officials find no evidence of a foreign cyberattack
Sean Duffy said Sunday that investigators had found no indication of a foreign cyberattack. The FBI and other federal law enforcement partners remain involved because officials initially had to assess whether malicious interference contributed to the national disruption.
“We think it was the installation or the router that was the bad actor. But we’re open, if we see something else, we’re gonna continue to investigate with our federal partners and law enforcement.”
President Donald Trump convened federal officials on Friday while the administration considered whether the outage showed signs of hostile activity. Duffy said officials found no indications that a foreign nation was responsible.
Flight disruptions continue after the nationwide stop
The nationwide ground stop lasted more than four hours and affected air travel across the United States. It contributed to disruptions involving roughly 15,000 flights on Friday and Saturday. As of noon Eastern time on Sunday, 3,798 flights had been delayed and 1,638 had been canceled within, into or out of the United States, according to flight-tracking data.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport recorded 376 delays, while Dallas Fort Worth International Airport recorded 363 delays and 195 cancellations in the provided data. The disruption was the first nationwide FAA ground stop since January 2023 and only the second since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Aging FAA telecommunications infrastructure remains under scrutiny
The outage has renewed attention on the age of the FAA’s telecommunications network. Duffy said the agency is still operating on what he described as a 1980-era telecommunications architecture and needs a new system. The communications and radar gaps demonstrated how an equipment or installation problem can affect the national airspace system.
“When we have inconsistencies in our network we’re going to shut it down.”
The secretary defended the shutdown as a safety measure rather than a choice to keep the system operating while technical problems remained unresolved. He said AT&T, Verizon and Lumen are prepared to assist with a replacement network.
Officials outline the expected recovery and funding debate
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Saturday that the worst was behind the agency and that air travel was expected to return to normal by the end of Sunday. Recovery continued as airlines and airports worked through delays and cancellations generated by the ground stop.
Duffy is seeking additional congressional funding for a new telecommunications network. Congressional Democrats have argued that the administration has not spent billions already allocated for air traffic control modernization. Duffy responded that those funds were designated for specific upgrades, including radar, radios and electronic flight strips, rather than a replacement communications network.
Key Points
| Number | Key Point |
|---|---|
| 1 | Two routers from Texas and Arkansas are undergoing diagnostic testing. |
| 2 | Officials have found no indication of a foreign cyberattack. |
| 3 | The ground stop affected roughly 15,000 flights over two days. |
| 4 | The FAA network is being modernized from copper wiring to fiber optics. |
| 5 | The administration says additional funding is needed for a new telecommunications system. |
Summary
The FAA’s nationwide ground stop remains under investigation, with technical testing focused on two routers and their installation. Officials have not found evidence of a foreign cyberattack, while flight disruptions continue to ease. The incident has also intensified debate over the condition of the FAA’s telecommunications infrastructure and the funding required to replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the nationwide FAA ground stop?
Investigators are examining whether a faulty router or an installation problem caused intermittent communications and radar gaps during telecommunications work.
Was the disruption linked to a foreign cyberattack?
Sean Duffy said officials have found no indication of a foreign cyberattack, although federal law enforcement agencies remain involved in the investigation.
How many flights were affected?
The ground stop contributed to disruptions affecting roughly 15,000 flights on Friday and Saturday. By noon Eastern time Sunday, 3,798 flights were delayed and 1,638 were canceled within, into or out of the United States.
What modernization work was underway?
L3Harris was replacing aging copper wiring with fiber-optic technology in the FAA communications system when intermittent communications and radar gaps emerged.
