Radar screens that serve troubled Newark Liberty International Airport briefly go dark

Radar screens serving Newark Liberty International Airport went black early Friday morning, raising more air traffic safety concerns at the busy New Jersey hub, federal authorities said.

The outrage shortly before 4 a.m. EDT lasted only 90 seconds on a limited number of sectors, the FAA said, but the blackout is still a troubling development in the wake of revelations that controllers lost radio contact with pilots flying into the airport in recent months.

The difficulties were traced to Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) network out of Philadelphia.

“There was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace,” according to an FAA statement. “The outage occurred around 3:55 a.m. on Friday, May 9, and lasted approximately 90 seconds.”