Flights Delayed, Diverted After Fort Lauderdale Airport Tower Loses Power
Flights were delayed and others diverted from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Tuesday after the control tower went without power for an hour and a half.
Hand-held radios were used to help land airplanes, and later Miami International Airport took over Fort Lauderdale's air space until power came back at 7:45 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.
There were no accidents, Bergen said.
''There were absolutely no impacts on flight safety,'' Bergen said. ``That's why we put the precautions we have in place.''
At 6:17 p.m. the control tower lost power, and backup generators never turned on, Bergen said. Air traffic controllers then used hand-held radios to communicate with pilots and land planes for about 45 minutes until the radio batteries ran out, Bergen said.
That's when Miami took over Fort Lauderdale's air space until power came back, she said.
Some flights were delayed when more space was added between takeoff and landings to make up for the lack of power. Others were diverted to Miami International and Palm Beach International airports.
All the steps taken were part of the regular procedure for power outages, Bergen said.
The FAA will investigate why the generators never came on, she said.
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