US student pilot on solo flight asked to land amid ground stop, he says ‘don’t know what to do’
10962661 US flight
- ✓10962661 US flight
- ✓The ground stop began shortly before 4 pm Eastern Time and was lifted at 8.15 pm.
- ✓It was the longest nationwide halt to US flights since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Amid the ongoing flight disruptions in the US over a communications outage, a video has surfaced of a student pilot in Texas seeking help from the Air traffic control after he was advised to land the aircraft following the nationwide outage.
The student pilot, whose identity is not known yet, was on his first solo cross-country flight from Hicks Airfield in Texas when he came in contact with controllers at the Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, CNN reported.
An audio recording of the exchange between the student pilot and controller at the Fort Worth Meacham International Airport has now surfaced. "There is a ground stop nationwide. I advise you land your aircraft, where would you like to land?" a controller at the US's Fort Worth Meacham International Airport tower in Tarrant County, Texas, is heard telling the pilot.
"I'm a student pilot, honestly, this is my first time doing solo cross country and I don't know what to do," the pilot responded. The controller then established that the aircraft had departed from Hicks Airfield, approximately 15 miles northwest of Fort Worth, and advised the pilot to return there.
The controller also warned of multiple aircraft in the vicinity, including two helicopters. When the student pilot sought confirmation about landing at Hicks, the controller clarified that she could not issue landing clearance for the airport but advised him to switch to its advisory frequency and coordinate with local traffic.
Concerned about the reason behind the nationwide disruption, the pilot asked whether there was anything wrong with Hicks Airfield itself or whether the situation was related to the nationwide ground stop. "Nothing wrong with Hicks airport itself," the controller replied, reiterating her recommendation that he land.
The aircraft subsequently landed at Hicks Airfield a few minutes after the exchange, according to flight-tracking data from FlightAware, CNN reported. The incident unfolded as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a nationwide ground stop following a communications outage that disrupted air traffic control operations and halted most departures for more than four hours.
The ground stop began shortly before 4 pm Eastern Time and was lifted at 8.15 pm. It was the longest nationwide halt to US flights since the September 11, 2001, attacks. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the disruption to instability in radar communications and problems involving ageing network infrastructure.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials had found no evidence of a cyberattack so far. The disruption led to thousands of cancellations, with more than 6,600 flights cancelled on Friday and around 1,500 Saturday flights already cancelled by 9.30 pm ET, according to The New York Times, citing FlightAware.
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| Issuing Authority | Indian Express World |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | WORLD |
| Jurisdiction | All India / National |
| Publication Date | 14 November 2026 |