Prosecutors reveal new details about blaze at Aurora radar facility

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-air-traffic-center-fire-sentencing-met-20150821-story.html

By Jason Meisner
Chicago Tribune
August 21, 2015

When Brian Howard decided to take out an Aurora radar tower's 
telecommunications systems in a botched suicide attempt, he essentially 
plunged into the dark 135 jets traveling through Midwest airspace.

By setting fire last fall to the radar facility where he worked as a 
telecommunications contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration, 
Howard left aircraft unable to communicate with ground control while the 
facility was evacuated, prosecutors said in a court filing that provided 
new details on the chaos inflicted that day.

Among the new disclosures was that Howard cut cables at precisely the most 
sensitive spot, knocking out the backup telecommunications system in 
addition to the primary one. Radars went black. The automated handoff 
system to transfer control of planes to other facilities was down. Even 
ground-to-ground communications were wiped out.

What followed was a controlled panic, as FAA controllers used cellphones 
and other backup devices to ground planes and turn back hundreds of others 
about to enter Chicago's airspace. The contingency plan worked — no planes 
were lost and no one was reported injured. But severe damage had been 
done.

[...]

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