Air traffic control in Los Angeles was temporarily shut down due to U-2 spy plane

Air traffic control was shut down in Los Angeles on May 5. Difficulty with an air traffic control system was caused by a high altitude U-2 Pentagon plane.

The spy plane confused software. As the system went into overload, it shut itself down as a precautionary measure, according to The Wall Street Journal.

There was a delay or cancellation in more than 200 flights at LAX, according to Reuters. When the difficulty happened, air traffic controllers in Southern California had to call their counterparts at neighboring centers to update them, according to Nate Pair, the president for Los Angeles Center of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Flights only in and out of Los Angeles were delayed or cancelled.

The FAA has been carefully looking for any mistakes that might have been made with the En Route Automation Modernization System. ERAM, as it’s known among professionals working in the industry, allows air traffic controllers to identify and direct planes at high altitudes. There was an impact on both primary and backup ERAM computer systems.