Computer trouble delays flights in Northen California and Nevada

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Monday, Oct. 23, 2000 | 4:21 a.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the failure, which lasted almost six hours, happened during regular maintenance.

"When the software was reinstalled, it wouldn't come back up on time," said FAA spokesman Jerry Snyder. "It came back up on the third attempt at 7:50 a.m."

The software assigns codes to departing flights, enabling air traffic controllers to track them.

The breakdown at the FAA center in Fremont affected airports in such cities as San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and Reno, Nev.

At San Francisco, nearly 120 flights were delayed. Thirty-eight flights out of Oakland were delayed, and 25 out of San Jose. Mostly domestic flights were affected.

Last Thursday, an air traffic radar system in Los Angeles failed, causing delays across a large area of the West.