New Zealand Nationwide Radar System Crashes, Thousands Stranded

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Dec 22, 1999 - 08:49 AM

New Zealand Nationwide Radar System Crashes, Thousands Stranded The Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - An unidentified computer glitch in radar systems left air traffic controllers in the dark today over the whereabouts of scores of aircraft in the skies above New Zealand. Controllers spent more than three hours using a backup system to guide the planes to their destinations.

There were no immediate reports of any serious incidents as a result of the glitch, which grounded planes and stranded thousands of passengers across the country.

It was not clear how many planes were in New Zealand airspace when the computers went down around midday. Airways Corp. air traffic controllers watched in disbelief as vital data disappeared off screens.

All airports in the country held flights until a backup system could be activated.

"We closed the capital's airport for a brief period, about 20 minutes or so," said Wellington Airport spokesman Graeme Ware. "Beyond that it slowed the whole operation down. There have been delays to some flights."

Authorities were investigating the system failure, but were not blaming an early version of the Y2K computer bug.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 22, 1999

Answers

link...

ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGIVBDXYI2C.html

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 22, 1999.


Authorities were investigating the system failure, but were not blaming an early version of the Y2K computer bug.

I guess we can expect to see a lot of this. No matter what, it isn't Y2K! What this guy fails to realize is that if two 747's smash into each other at 30,000 feet going 500 miles per hour, nobody is going to care whether it is Y2K or not.

-- no (one@you.know), December 22, 1999.


You've forgotten the Y2K rule of thumb - if radar screens go blank, it could be unrelated to Y2K, because on average, 1% of the time radars screens go blank all by themselves. So you never, ever assume Y2K first. Always assume its something other than Y2K, and the wilder the better. For example, did you know that if enough dust molecules accumulate on a radar server connector thingy, this will cause screens to go blank? Betcha didn't know that!!

-- bb (b@b.b), December 22, 1999.

New Zealand Nationwide Radar System Crashes, Thousands Stranded Dec 22, 1999 - 08:49 AM - The Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - An unidentified computer glitch in radar systems left air traffic controllers in the dark today over the whereabouts of scores of aircraft in the skies above New Zealand.

Controllers spent more than three hours using a backup system to guide the planes to their destinations.

There were no immediate reports of any serious incidents as a result of the glitch, which grounded planes and stranded thousands of passengers across the country.

It was not clear how many planes were in New Zealand airspace when the computers went down around midday. Airways Corp. air traffic controllers watched in disbelief as vital data disappeared off screens.

All airports in the country held flights until a backup system could be activated.

"We closed the capital's airport for a brief period, about 20 minutes or so," said Wellington Airport spokesman Graeme Ware. "Beyond that it slowed the whole operation down. There have been delays to some flights."

Authorities were investigating the system failure, but were not blaming an early version of the Y2K computer bug.

AP-ES-12-22-99 0847EST

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 22, 1999.


Indeed, and bodily fluids can short systems out too!

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), December 22, 1999.


" ... air traffic controllers watched in disbelief as vital data disappeared off screens ... "

Watching New Zealand for 1st signs ...

-- NOT y2k (NO@don't.look), December 22, 1999.


Shaken by this. NZ is techno savvy, with a genuine "can do" attitude. If they can't get the damn things working, who can?

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 22, 1999.

and my best employee is flying on new years....yikes. I have tried to explain things ....but you know how that goes! I pray for her and her family!

-- More Dinty Moore (dac@ccrtc.com), December 22, 1999.

onenews.co.nz/National/1999/12/22/00014087.htm

MYSTERY GLITCH BLINDS AIR CONTROL There was a potential disaster in the country's air traffic control system on Wednesday.

Across the country data disappeared from control tower computer screens and air traffic controllers had to rely on back-up systems to get planes down safely.

Airports closed and planes were kept on the ground as a nation-wide radar system glitch delayed Christmas travellers.

In Wellington and Christchurch there were delays and from midday. For 20 minutes airports effectively closed.

Airways Corporation runs the system and has no idea what caused the failure.

"The radar system went out at 12 o'clock and right across the country the radar system had a glitch," says Heather Hayden from the Airways Corporation.

The radar that tracks planes from one area of the country to another inexplicably crashed.

Information disappeared from control tower computers and air traffic controllers had to rely on a backup system. "We closed the airport for a brief period - say about 20 minutes or so. Beyond that it's slowed the operation down, there's been some delays to some flights," Graeme Ware from Wellington Airport said.

The Airways Corporation says the glitch was a first and at no stage were any passengers or planes in any danger.

"We didn't have a radar picture across the country and so we held planes on the ground until we were able to re-establish that if a plane that was flying from Auckland to Christchurch we had a radar picture of that right across that area," Hayden says.

Even airports like that at Gisborne which do not use radar, were affected. Planes were kept on the ground there until the national system was back running.

By 1515 Wednesday all flights were back to normal.

The Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the incident and it is also alerted the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.

The Airways Corporation is conducting its own investigation into the radar failure. Published Wednesday, December 22, 1999

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 22, 1999.


Hey, lets put this into perpestive here. New Zealand does not have a nationwide radar coverage to begin with. There is a secondary survelence system which covers almost 2/3 of the country, and primary radar at Ohakea and Whenuapai Airforce Bases and 3 civillian airports.

When I fly from where I live in our Cessna heading north, I have to fly for an hour before I even reach class C controlled airspace. At that point I may be asked to sqawk for radar if I wish to continue into controlled space. owever most of our airspace is either uncontrolled or class D which is almost uncontrolled.

The report that said All airports in the country held flights is incorrect. All international airports held back flights, but most domestic airports were unaffected by this glitch.

Incidentally, when the system was first installed it failed in the same manner almost daily.

-- Malcolm Taylor (taylorm@es.co.nz), December 22, 1999.



Why thank you, Malcolm. I feel so much better now...

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 22, 1999.


Just wondering...

What would the results be should TWO radar systems crash simultaneously?

Example:

Airport "A" has their radar system crash. While reverting to back up, Airport "B" (which is now tracking airport "A's" planes, keeping them at safe distances apart in the skys until "B" comes back on line) also crashes.

Don't know if this is the correct scenario. Someone has to pick up the slack...???

-- GoldReal (GoldReal@aol.com), December 22, 1999.


And if the international fights carrying vital drugs to your hospitals can't land as fast as they do now then YOU have a problem..albeit only if you have amedical problem which requires these drugs for your survival.

-- ..- (dit@dot.dash), December 22, 1999.

"The radar system went out at 12 o'clock and right across the country the radar system had a glitch."

Oh $#!+

-- witching hour (preview@witching.hour), December 22, 1999.


Malcolm:

When was this system installed ??? Give us all of the goods that you can please. Thanks

-- Dana (A_Non_O_Moose@xxx.com), December 22, 1999.



It has just been reported on the TV News here that the fault is due to a communications fault between the main and backup computers. Definitely a hardware failure and not Y2K related.

The system was installed about 10 years ago. I can't remember the exact date, but I do recall the furore about every aircraft owner in the country having to fit a transponder in the aircraft at a rather large expense. Looking back through my log book for the aircraft I was flying at time puts the installation of the secondary surveilence radar system at somewhere between 1988 and 1991.

-- Malcolm Taylor (taylorm@es.co.nz), December 23, 1999.


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