U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy: The nationwide grounding order was lifted at 8:15 p.m. ET. At 3:36 p.m. ET, multiple facilities and terminal radar approach control centers across the country experienced telecommunications problems, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue a grounding order out of an abundance of caution. At the time, more than 3,500 aircraft were in the air. Pilots and air traffic controllers safely landed their aircraft according to established procedures, and by 8 p.m. ET, the number of aircraft in the airspace had decreased to below 400. The FAA confirmed that not all radar or telecommunications were lost at the time and exceptionally allowed critical medical evacuation, life-saving cargo, and law enforcement flights to continue operating.
