ADS-B Issues Affect CRJs

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Regional airline schedules experienced significant disruptions late Saturday and into Sunday due to ADS-B and GPS issues.
  • The problems primarily affected Bombardier CRJ aircraft, briefly grounding entire fleets, and seemed confined to the western U.S.
  • The FAA reportedly requested the military to cease any GPS jamming tests that might have been underway.
  • By Sunday afternoon, most flights had returned to normal, aside from some weather-related delays in the Southeast.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Regional airline schedules were disrupted late Saturday and into Sunday by ADS-B and GPS issues that seemed to affect mainly Bombardier CRJ aircraft. According to various sources, the disruption briefly grounded entire fleets of regional jets and the resulting delays and cancellations rippled through the system. A random selection of airport arrival and departure boards showed most flights on time by midafternoon EDT on Sunday, except for some weather delays in the Southeast.

The origin of the issues remains unclear but affected the ADS-B and GNSS systems on the affected aircraft. Mainline aircraft seemed to be unaffected by the problems. The problems seemed confined to the western U.S. and the FAA reportedly asked the military to cease any GPS jamming tests they might be conducting.

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox

SUBSCRIBE