# FAA issues rare nationwide ground stop; no indication of 'nefarious attack' > HelixNews · Web page: https://helixnews.one/story/3598954 · All pages for agents: https://helixnews.one/llms.txt 20 outlets covering · First listed: ABC News, Nov 13, 2026, 3:07 PM · Read it: The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday for all airports due a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. AI summary (may contain mistakes): A nationwide FAA ground stop on Friday, which the FAA said was caused by a telecommunications outage, was later lifted. Air Space Intelligence denied that its SMART tool was linked to the ground stop, The Hill reported. The grounding disrupted travel plans for college and NFL teams, including Texas, Arizona State and Ole Miss. ## Who's covering it In the order they published: - Nov 13, 2026, 3:06 PM: [FAA imposes nationwide ground stop on all flights]() — Washington Examiner (Magazine, United States, rated Lean right) The Federal Aviation Administration halted all flight departures nationwide Friday afternoon due to a “rolling frequency outage” affecting facilities that monitor planes in the air. The cause remained unclear Friday, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday evening that investigators were looking into it, but suggested that a telecommunications issue caused the disruption. AIR - Nov 13, 2026, 3:07 PM: [FAA issues rare nationwide ground stop; no indication of 'nefarious attack']() — ABC News (TV network, United States, rated Lean left) The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday for all airports due a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. - Nov 13, 2026, 3:35 PM: [The FAA lifts its over four-hour nationwide ground stop for US airports caused by "communication issues affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers" (Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios)]() — Techmeme (Aggregator, United States) - Nov 13, 2026, 4:00 PM: [FAA lifts rare nationwide ground stop on flights; air travel may take days to recover]() — MarketWatch (Business & finance, United States, rated Center) Homeland Security Secretary Mullin said that there was ‘zero evidence’ of cyberattack as fewer flights amid fuel-cost surge may hamper rebookings. - Nov 13, 2026, 4:27 PM: [What we know about the FAA nationwide ground stop]() — NPR (Public broadcaster, United States, rated Lean left) The Federal Aviation Administration took an extraordinary step Friday afternoon by issuing a nationwide ground stop. No planes are taking off at any airport and millions of passengers are stranded. - Nov 13, 2026, 4:42 PM: [All US flights grounded by FAA]() — The Register (Digital news, United Kingdom) Safety reasons and unspecified communications issue cited - Nov 13, 2026, 4:58 PM: [FAA grounds all US flights due to 'telecommunication outage' — officials say ' no indication...that this was a nefarious attack,' but they can't rule out a cyberattack yet]() — TechRadar (Digital news, United Kingdom) The FAA called a ground stop on all US flights, which means no planes are taking off, and many are landing. There's no indication of a cyberattack, but the telecommunications system between air traffic control and pilots is not functioning at full capacity. - Nov 13, 2026, 5:17 PM: [FAA has lifted its third-ever nationwide ground stop]() — Ars Technica (Digital news, United States) Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy blamed obsolete equipment for the outage. - Nov 13, 2026, 5:50 PM: [College football flight chaos ensues after rare nationwide FAA ground stop]() — NY Post (Newspaper, United States, rated Lean right) The FAA’s nationwide ground stop is throwing a wrench into Saturday’s college football action. - Nov 13, 2026, 5:56 PM: [FAA issues rare nationwide ground stop due to 'extraordinary circumstances']() — PBS NewsHour (Public broadcaster, United States, rated Lean left) Air travel across the country came to a standstill on Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare nationwide ground stop citing "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety." Aviation correspondent Miles O'Brien reports. - Nov 13, 2026, 6:52 PM: [Amtrak booking system experiencing major issues amid nationwide FAA ground stop]() — Hacker News (Aggregator, United States) - Nov 13, 2026, 6:53 PM: [Texas football stuck in Austin after FAA nationwide ground stop]() — Yahoo Sports (Sports, United States) Texas football has one ranked opponent remaining on its schedule, but there is no telling when the team will arrive for that matchup. The Longhorns boarded the airplane for their trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Friday afternoon, but because of a nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, they are stuck in Austin for the - Nov 13, 2026, 7:32 PM: [FAA nationwide ground stop: Why it happened, according to officials]() — Mashable (Digital news, United States) Communication outage cause by outdated systems and network updates, not the FAA's new SMART AI tool. - Nov 13, 2026, 7:32 PM: [FAA says nationwide ground stop is over after thousands of flights cancelled]() — Yahoo News (Digital news, United States, rated Lean left) - Nov 13, 2026, 7:46 PM: [The FAA Nationwide Ground Stop Is Over]() — Wired (Magazine, United States) The five-hour ordeal ended Friday evening. Planes will be allowed to fly again, but the effects of the stoppage will be felt throughout the weekend. - Nov 13, 2026, 7:56 PM: [Airspace reopened after nationwide ground stop]() — The Hill (Newspaper, United States, rated Center) The nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration Friday afternoon has been lifted, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed. “At 8:15 tonight Eastern Time, we’ve opened up the airspace,” Duffy said to reporters in the White House briefing room during a press conference that began at around 8:30 p.m. EST. Duffy added that, although… - Nov 13, 2026, 8:42 PM: [Scenes From the Nationwide Ground Stop]() — The Atlantic (Magazine, United States, rated Lean left) Some 1.5 million people experienced travel disruption on Friday. - Nov 13, 2026, 8:42 PM: [Nationwide Ground Stop At Airports Lifted, FAA Says]() — Forbes (Magazine, United States, rated Center) Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop was ordered following a "communication issue” impacting all air traffic control centers. - Nov 13, 2026, 10:37 PM: [Nationwide ground stop lifted. So, now what?]() — CNN (TV network, United States, rated Lean left) - Nov 13, 2026, 10:47 PM: [What to Know About Friday’s Nationwide Ground Stop]() — New York Times (Newspaper, United States, rated Lean left) The air traffic control system’s overloaded, antiquated telecommunications equipment sustained its latest widespread failure, prompting a call for more money to fuel faster upgrades.