Air traffic controllers in Philadelphia had been guiding planes to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey last week when communications suddenly crashed.맥스카지노�Approach, are you there?맥스카지노� one pilot asked the controller.The controller had stopped responding.United Airlines Flight 1951, flying from New Orleans to the Newark hub, tried to radio the controller five times before finally getting a response.맥스카지노�United 1951, how do you hear me?맥스카지노� the controller asks, according to air traffic control conversations recorded by the website LiveATC.net.맥스카지노�I got you loud and clear, United 1951,맥스카지노� the pilot responds.Those 30 seconds of silence when communication went down ultimately cascaded into a weeklong meltdown at Newark, one of the nation맥스카지노�s largest airports. It resulted in delays and cancellations for thousands of customers, controllers taking leave for trauma, and renewed scrutiny on an outdated air traffic control system.The chaos also highlighted the challenges of an understaffed system, the latest incident in an already turbulent year for aviation that included a deadly collision between a passenger jet and U.S. army helicopter.맥스카지노�I don맥스카지노�t know where you are맥스카지노�Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Monday controllers had lost the primary communication, and the backup line did not immediately take over. Audio obtained by CNN shows the tense moments from the afternoon of April 28.맥스카지노�United (flight) 674, radar contact lost,맥스카지노� a controller tells a pilot flying to Newark from Charleston, South Carolina. 맥스카지노�We lost our radar so just stay on the arrival and maintain 6000 (feet).맥스카지노�The same flight, traveling at hundreds of miles an hour, returns to the radar but does not show up in an accurate position.The connectivity between Federal Aviation Administration radar and the frequencies that air traffic controllers use to manage planes at the airport 맥스카지노�completely failed,맥스카지노� a source with knowledge of the situation said. Without radar, another approach controller told the pilot of a smaller aircraft to rely on towers for clearance.맥스카지노�Do I have bravo clearance?맥스카지노� the pilot asks. Bravo clearance is permission to enter into the airspace surrounding a larger airport, like Newark Liberty.맥스카지노�No, you do not have a bravo clearance. We lost our radar and it맥스카지노�s not working correctly. Radar service terminates맥스카지노� If you want a bravo clearance, you can just call the tower when you get closer,맥스카지노� the controller said.About 15 to 20 flights were being controlled by Newark Liberty approach controllers when communication and radar went down on April 28, according to an analysis by flight tracking site Flightradar24.The number is based on the altitude of aircraft bound for and departing Newark and audio from the approach radio frequency, Ian Petchenik, the director of communications for the site, tells CNN.No crashes occurred, but at least five FAA employees took 45 days of trauma leave afterward.Aviation analyst Miles O맥스카지노�Brien told CNN that the controllers did what they could with a potentially dangerous situation.맥스카지노�I think, as I always say, that the controllers, the individuals who run this system daily, perform quiet heroic acts, in spite of a system that is built to set them up for failure. I believe in those people doing their job, but there맥스카지노�s only so much stress they can take,맥스카지노� O맥스카지노�Brien said.The incident has compounded existing staffing shortages and equipment failures and contributed to frustrating hourslong delays for passengers, Duffy told Fox News.A CNN analysis of FAA airspace advisories shows at least 14 straight days of FAA-imposed delays for flights to or from Newark.More than 150 flights into or out of the airport on Monday were canceled, with more than 350 flights delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. And on Tuesday, the FAA announced a ground delay for inbound flights at the airport, causing further delays.The FAA has indicated it expects delays at the airport to continue due to the staffing shortages. Duffy added that authorities will have to slow traffic at Newark before restoring full capacity.A traumatic eventThe current shortage of air traffic controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years, said the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents 10,800 certified air traffic controllers across the country.The control facility responsible for traffic at Newark has been 맥스카지노�chronically understaffed for years,맥스카지노� United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a Friday message addressing the delays. He also said the shortage was compounded by over 20% of FAA controllers who 맥스카지노�walked off the job맥스카지노� at Newark Airport last week.The controllers맥스카지노� union said workers did not 맥스카지노�walk off the job.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�The controllers didn맥스카지노�t just walk off the job, they were traumatized, their equipment failed,맥스카지노� the source with knowledge of the situation said. 맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s written in the regulations if they experience a traumatic event 맥스카지노� they can take time off to go see psychiatrist. The people working that day did that.맥스카지노�But filling those empty positions is not an issue that can be sorted overnight, according to the FAA.New air traffic control applicants must be younger than 31 years old so they can work the mandatory 20 or 25 years needed to qualify for pensions before their mandatory retirement age of 56, according to the FAA. Physical stamina and mental sharpness are critical to performing the job.And air traffic controllers can맥스카지노�t simply fill in at a different airport without extensive preparation.맥스카지노�When you first start at an air traffic control facility, you have to do a lot of memorization,맥스카지노� said Michael McCormick, a professor and air traffic management coordinator at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.맥스카지노�Most air traffic controllers don맥스카지노�t just monitor one airport. Many keep tabs on dozens of other regional airports to make sure planes keep a safe distance from each other.맥스카지노�The FAA acknowledged a wave of new controllers won맥스카지노�t come overnight.맥스카지노�While we cannot quickly replace (the controllers) due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace,맥스카지노� the FAA said.A frail system in placeFlights arriving to Newark were experiencing an average delay of 2 hours and 40 minutes as of Tuesday morning.One passenger, Geraldine Wallace, told CNN Sunday she was anxious about the staffing shortage after her flight was delayed for almost three hours.Mark Wallace, her partner, told CNN he was more worried about equipment failures.맥스카지노�As concerning as the manpower issue is, according to news reports, the equipment that they맥스카지노�re using out of Philadelphia is antiquated,맥스카지노� he said.The Department of Transportation will announce a plan Thursday to transform the air traffic control system, remodeling an outdated system that contributed to days of delays at Newark, Duffy, the transportation secretary, told Fox News on Monday.The system used to manage air traffic at Newark is 맥스카지노�incredibly old,맥스카지노� Duffy said.맥스카지노�We use floppy disks. We use copper wires,맥스카지노� he said Friday. 맥스카지노�The system that we맥스카지노�re using is not effective to control the traffic that we have in the airspace today.맥스카지노�Duffy has since pledged to implement a new, 맥스카지노�state-of-the-art맥스카지노� system at air traffic control facilities across the country that would be the 맥스카지노�envy of the world맥스카지노� 맥스카지노� but said it might take three to four years.맥스카지노�We are going to radically transform the way air traffic control looks,맥스카지노� Duffy told Fox News맥스카지노� Laura Ingraham.President Donald Trump has 맥스카지노�bought into the plan,맥스카지노� he said.Duffy also reiterated that the airspace was still safe.Peter Goelz, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board, said he wasn맥스카지노�t sure he맥스카지노�d want to fly out of Newark for the next 10 days.맥스카지노�We have a very safe system, but anytime it맥스카지노�s stressed like this, where you have controllers who are feeling under maximum pressure, it impacts safety 맥스카지노� and people have a right to be concerned,맥스카지노� Goelz told CNN.맥스카지노�You cannot expect humans to function at their highest level for sustained periods of time with this kind of pressure on them.맥스카지노�CNN맥스카지노�s Lauren Mascarenhas, Holly Yan, Rene Marsh and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.