Denver air traffic controllers temporarily lose radio communications with aircraft

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating how pilots flying into Denver International Airport temporarily lost contact with air traffic controllers on Monday. 

The FAA told FOX Business that part of the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) experienced a loss of communications for approximately 90 seconds around 1:50 p.m. local time on Monday after both transmitters that cover a segment of airspace went down.

Sources told Denver7 that as many as 20 pilots were unable to speak with ATC. However, the FAA said the controllers used another frequency to relay instructions to pilots and that the aircraft remained safely separated. Controllers used another frequency to relay instructions to pilots, and there were no impacts to operations, the FAA added.