- Will it be confirmed that an equipment, software, power or telecommunications failure caused the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13?87¢87%
- Will it be confirmed that maintenance, an upgrade or another planned change to an FAA or contractor system caused the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13?53¢53%
- Will it be confirmed that accidental damage to a cable, line or other physical equipment caused the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13?12¢12%
- Will it be confirmed that a software or configuration error caused the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13?71¢71%
- Will it be confirmed that a failure at a telecommunications carrier or other FAA contractor caused the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13?89¢89%
- Will it be confirmed that a problem with the FAA's SMART air traffic management system caused the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13?2¢2%
- Will it be confirmed that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) caused the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13?<1¢<1%
- 87%Equipment or system failure$12 Vol.
- 52.5%Maintenance or upgrade work$29 Vol.
- 11.5%Cable cut or physical damage$322.4 Vol.
- 70.5%Software or configuration error$76 Vol.
- 88.5%Telecom carrier or contractor fault$463.2 Vol.
- 2.4%SMART AI system$4k Vol.
- 0.7%EMP$601.3 Vol.
The November 13, 2026, FAA nationwide ground stop stemmed from a sudden telecommunications outage that disrupted radio frequencies, radar, and automation across multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers, halting departures while allowing inbound flights to land. Official statements from the FAA and Transportation Secretary described a temporary communications failure, with technicians actively investigating the root cause. Reports indicate an update to the private ATC communications network may have triggered a system reboot and crash, though this remains unconfirmed and distinct from any Microsoft outage the prior day. Homeland Security officials ruled out early signs of a cyberattack. This marks only the second such stop since 2023’s NOTAM software glitch. Traders should watch for the FAA’s formal post-incident report, which will likely clarify whether the failure traces to a software update, database synchronization error, or infrastructure vulnerability.
Rules
This market will resolve according to the cause or causes to which the U.S. government officially attributes the FAA's nationwide ground stop on November 13, 2026, between market creation and November 30, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Each market will resolve to "Yes" if the U.S. government officially attributes the ground stop to the listed cause within this timeframe. Otherwise, this market will resolve to "No". More than one market may resolve to "Yes". The ground stop refers to the nationwide departure ground stop the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued on November 13, 2026. A cause qualifies if it is attributed as a cause of the ground stop or of the radio, radar, communications, or other system outage behind it. The listed causes are defined as follows: Equipment or system failure: a malfunction of hardware, software, power, or telecommunications equipment used by the FAA or its contractors, including one set off by maintenance work or accidental damage. A cyberattack, jamming, or sabotage is not a failure. Maintenance or upgrade work: planned maintenance, an upgrade, a configuration change, or a cutover on an FAA or contractor system. Cable cut or physical damage: accidental damage to a cable, line, antenna, or other physical equipment, including by construction work or weather. Software or configuration error: a fault in software, or a wrong setting or configuration, in an FAA or contractor system, including one introduced by an update or upgrade. Telecom carrier or contractor fault: the failure, damage, error, or work behind the outage was in equipment, a network, or a system run by a company other than the FAA, such as a telecommunications carrier or an FAA contractor. SMART AI system: a malfunction or error in, or the deployment or rollout of, the FAA's SMART air traffic management system, including its interaction with other FAA systems. EMP: an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), including one produced by a nuclear or non-nuclear weapon or device, that disrupted or damaged electrical or electronic equipment used by the FAA or its contractors. Solar storms and other natural geomagnetic disturbances will not count. A qualifying attribution is a public statement by an authorized representative of the U.S. federal government acting in an official capacity stating that the listed cause caused the ground stop or the outage behind it. Criminal charges filed by U.S. federal prosecutors alleging that the outage was caused by a cyberattack, jamming, or sabotage will also qualify for the relevant market. Statements describing a cause as suspected, likely, probable, under investigation, or not ruled out, or stating only that the outage bears the hallmarks of or is consistent with a cause, will not qualify. A statement that the ground stop followed a communication, radio, or radar outage or issue, without saying what caused that outage, will not qualify. A cause of a different outage or ground stop will not qualify. Statements by anonymous or unnamed officials or by governments of other countries will not qualify on their own. Once a qualifying attribution is made, the relevant market will resolve to "Yes" regardless of any later retraction or the outcome of legal proceedings. The primary resolution source for this market will be official statements and publications from the U.S. government; however, a consensus of credible reporting may also be used.