The Waterbury Times|Breaking News|Nov 13, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A nationwide grounding of departing flights across the United States Friday has raised questions about the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) recent testing and deployment of new artificial intelligence-assisted air traffic management technology.

FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop, Halting Flight Departures Across the United States

The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday, November 13, after communications problems affected the 22 regional air route traffic control centers responsible for guiding aircraft between airports.

While federal officials have not established the cause of the communications failure, the timing has prompted questions about the agency’s recent technology initiatives, including a new system designed to help manage aircraft routing, scheduling and airspace operations.

New AI-Assisted Technology Under Scrutiny

The FAA has been developing and testing a technology known as SMART, or Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories.

The system is designed to consolidate information from multiple data sources, including weather conditions, aircraft movements, air traffic volume and controller staffing, to help air traffic management personnel make operational decisions.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in September that the FAA had begun testing the AI-assisted technology in the Washington, D.C., region.

The same reporting indicated that the testing did not appear to be connected to an equipment-related disruption affecting Philadelphia-area flight operations at that time.

However, Friday’s nationwide communications failure presents a different situation and raises questions about the relationship, if any, between the FAA’s evolving technology infrastructure and its existing communications systems.

Could the Technology Have Played a Role?

At this point, there is no verified evidence that SMART caused Friday’s disruption, that the system malfunctioned, or that artificial intelligence was responsible for the nationwide grounding.

The FAA has attributed the emergency order to communications problems and said technicians were investigating.

But the scope of the disruption deserves attention.

The Government Accountability Office published a September 2026 aviation cybersecurity report identifying vulnerabilities involving aircraft communications, including potential signal spoofing and jamming.

The report warned that shortcomings in the FAA’s risk assessments and real-time monitoring capabilities could make it more difficult to identify and respond to emerging threats.

The findings raise additional questions about how the FAA protects interconnected aviation systems as it introduces new technologies.

Questions for the FAA, DHS and CISA

The Department of Homeland Security and its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have responsibilities involving the protection of critical national infrastructure, including transportation and communications systems.

The Waterbury Times believes several questions warrant answers:

• Was the FAA conducting any live testing, implementation or system integration involving SMART on November 13?
• Was the AI-assisted technology connected to any communications infrastructure affected by Friday’s outage?
• Has the FAA ruled out a software malfunction or technology-related interference?
• Has CISA been asked to assist with investigating the communications failure?
• Have federal investigators ruled out a cybersecurity incident?
• What independent safety and cybersecurity assessments were completed before introducing the new technology?

A Nationwide Safety Concern

The United States depends on an interconnected aviation infrastructure to move millions of passengers and transport critical goods.

Friday’s grounding demonstrates how quickly disruptions to that infrastructure can affect the entire country.

The introduction of artificial intelligence into air traffic management may offer operational benefits, but the reliability, security and safety of the systems supporting those operations must remain a priority.

The cause of Friday’s communications failure has not been established. Until federal investigators provide a definitive explanation, questions about the FAA’s technology testing and infrastructure should remain part of the public conversation.

The Waterbury Times will continue following the investigation and seeking answers from the FAA, DHS and CISA.

This is a developing story.