Newark air traffic controller says they lost contact with pilots multiple times since August

An unidentified Newark Air Traffic Controller (ATC) on Tuesday told NBC News that controllers have lost all radio and radar contact with pilots flying into the airport at least three times since last August, including an incident last week.

Air traffic controllers lost all communication with pilots flying into the Newark Liberty International Airport for approximately 90 seconds on April 28, but the ATC has been facing widespread scrutiny since January. 

The controller, who asked to remain anonymous, said there have also been as many as eight or nine instances where controllers lost radio contact with pilots in recent months but did not lose radar.

“We lost all radios! No backups!" the controller said of the April incident. "Everything went down. It was like time stood still for a while. It was a scary moment when we tried to reach these planes and we couldn’t."

The controller said it was not clear exactly how long communication went down, but it felt more like 45 seconds than 90 seconds. 

"We went to back-up radios, that didn’t work, nothing worked," the person said. "The fear of panic and being scared came afterwards. These planes with people, with lives in them are flying — and no one is talking to them — they were flying in the dark. It was like a cone of silence. We couldn’t hear them, but I’m sure they were calling us."

The revelation comes as Newark suffers its ninth day of flight delays. The airport, which is one of the busiest in the country, is facing a myriad of issues including staffing shortages and harsh weather. It also has ongoing runway construction, which has limited the airport to just one functioning runway.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.