What happened in the November 13 nationwide FAA ground stop

November 14, 2026

On the afternoon of Friday, November 13, 2026, the FAA stopped departures at every airport in the United States. For a little over four hours nothing took off, while controllers and pilots brought the airplanes already in the air down safely. Here is what is on the public record so far, what a ground stop actually is, and what travelers should know.

CrosswindBay is an independent site. This post summarizes public statements and news reports, which are listed at the bottom. It is not an official statement from any agency, airline or airport. Details are preliminary and may change.

The timeline (Eastern time)

• About 3:36 p.m.: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the trouble began when air traffic control centers started seeing instability in radar and communications systems (Reuters).
• 3:54 p.m. (20:54 UTC): The FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center issued a national ground stop “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” All departing traffic was to remain on the ground until further notice, with inbound international flights handled case by case (FAA ATCSCC advisory 111). The FAA’s public statement said the stop followed “communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers” (FAA).
• 8:15 p.m.: Secretary Duffy said the airspace reopened, and warned that the return to normal would be “slow” (Reuters).

Reuters described it as the longest nationwide shutdown of U.S. departures since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The only other nationwide ground stop since then, in January 2023, halted domestic departures for about 90 minutes.

What officials say caused it

At a press conference on Saturday, November 14, Secretary Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford described what they believe happened (U.S. DOT):

• At “at least one” remote FAA location, a contractor was doing routine work to move telecommunication lines from old copper wire to fiber. Duffy named the contractor as L3Harris, which he said owns the network the FAA uses.
• During that work a router “started flooding other routers” in the air traffic control network, with “over 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds.” That caused problems with communication with airplanes and “some disruption” to radar feeds.
• Duffy said investigators had not yet determined whether the cause was installation error or a faulty router.
• Asked about a cyberattack, Duffy said, “We don’t believe so.” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was “zero evidence” so far of a cyberattack, while noting investigators were still looking (Reuters).

In other words, this was a telecommunications failure in the air traffic control network. It was not a government shutdown or a funding lapse.

The scale

• DOT said controllers and pilots safely grounded more than 3,500 flights, and that more than 8,000 flight operations resumed Friday night after the stop was lifted (U.S. DOT).
• By 11:30 p.m. Friday, nearly 10,000 flights had been canceled, according to Flightradar24 figures cited by Reuters. Counts from tracking sites move quickly and differ between sources, so treat them as snapshots.

What is a ground stop?

A ground stop is a traffic-management tool. Instead of letting airplanes take off into a problem, such as weather at a destination, a runway closure or, in this case, unreliable communications and radar data, the FAA orders flights that meet certain criteria to stay on the ground at their departure airports. Airplanes already airborne continue to their destinations or land elsewhere.

Most ground stops are local: one destination airport, for an hour or so, usually because of thunderstorms. A nationwide stop for all departures is extremely rare. The point is the same either way: it is far safer to hold an airplane at the gate than to have it airborne when the system cannot handle it.

If your trip was affected

• Use your airline’s app or website first. Rebooking options often show up there before the lines at the counter move.
• Know your refund rights. Under U.S. Department of Transportation rules, if an airline cancels your flight and you choose not to travel or not to accept the rebooking or credit offered, you are entitled to a refund of the ticket, including taxes and fees (14 CFR 260.6).
• Do not expect compensation for meals or hotels. Reuters reported that U.S. airlines will not be required to compensate stranded passengers because the carriers were not responsible for the FAA system failure. Some airlines may offer help anyway; ask.
• Build in slack for the next few days. Airplanes and crews ended up out of position, and recovery takes time. See our follow-up: After the ground stop: getting flights back to normal.

A word for the people who worked it

Thousands of airplanes were landed safely in a matter of hours. Controllers, pilots, flight attendants, ramp crews, gate agents and airport staff all had a very long Friday. If you were stuck at an airport, a little patience with them goes a long way.

Sources

• FAA, “FAA Statement on Nationwide Ground Stop,” November 13, 2026: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statement-nationwide-ground-stop
• FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center, Advisory 111 (National Ground Stop), November 13, 2026: https://www.fly.faa.gov/ois/oisedit/adv_oisedit_dis?day=11132026&number=111
• U.S. Department of Transportation, “ICYMI: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Provides Update on Restoration of Airspace Following Nationwide Ground Stop,” November 14, 2026: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/icymi-us-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-provides-update-restoration-airspace
• Reuters, “US to resume flights after air traffic network failure sparks chaos,” November 13, 2026: https://www.reuters.com/5f374b32b07b/world/us/faa-issues-national-ground-stop-due-extraordinary-circumstance-reasons-safety-2026-11-13/
• eCFR, 14 CFR 260.6, refunds for cancelled or significantly changed flights: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-260/section-260.6