# Duffy Denies FAA AI Tool Caused Nationwide Ground Stop > HelixNews · Web page: https://helixnews.one/story/4089590 · All pages for agents: https://helixnews.one/llms.txt 18 outlets covering · First listed: The Defiant, Nov 14, 2026, 1:44 AM · Read it: The FAA announced SMART’s expansion to airspace covered by 22 centers on Nov. 10. Duffy blamed overloaded legacy telecom equipment for Friday’s halt. ## 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, 3:08 PM: [FAA ends hours-long nationwide ground stop]() — Hacker News (Aggregator, United States) The FAA lifted its nationwide ground stop Friday night after hours of chaos and thousands of delays and cancellations.Why it matters: The effects of the rare and extreme move will likely ripple through the weekend, with travelers stranded and airlines' planes and crews out of position.Driving the news: In a Friday evening press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop was issued after outdated air traffic control communications equipment suffered from "overloaded data, and they went down."Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin added that officials are looking… - Nov 13, 2026, 3:30 PM: [Nationwide FAA Ground Stop Is Over, Sean Duffy Says: ‘I Didn’t Anticipate That We Would Have An Outage Like This’]() — Gizmodo (Digital news, United States) Duffy warned more disruptions would be likely if more funds for FAA upgrades don't come through. - 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, 4:27 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, 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, 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, 9:05 PM: [What caused the national ground stop? Here is what we know]() — Los Angeles Times (Newspaper, United States, rated Lean left) For more than four hours, a ground stop of virtually all aircraft in the United States brought unprecedented chaos and delays that are expected to last days. Here is what we know about what went wrong. - Nov 13, 2026, 10:04 PM: [AI company behind FAA’s SMART tool denies link to ground stop, Duffy confirms]() — The Hill (Newspaper, United States, rated Center) Air Space Intelligence (ASI), the company behind a recently deployed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) AI tool, denied any link to the nationwide ground stop issued Friday afternoon. “The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC,” the company… - 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. - Nov 14, 2026, 12:54 AM: [Sean Duffy urges college football teams to reach out to FAA as schools scramble to travel after nationwide ground stop]() — NY Post (Newspaper, United States, rated Lean right) - Nov 14, 2026, 1:44 AM: [Duffy Denies FAA AI Tool Caused Nationwide Ground Stop]() — The Defiant (Specialist) The FAA announced SMART’s expansion to airspace covered by 22 centers on Nov. 10. Duffy blamed overloaded legacy telecom equipment for Friday’s halt.