Air traffic controllers in Philadelphia were guiding planes to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey last week when communications suddenly crashed. “Approach, are you there?” one pilot asked the controller.

For a week and counting, flying in and out of Newark Airport has inflicted misery on travelers. The cancellations and  delays have been caused by a cascade of infrastructure failures and staffing

Last Monday's radar and radio outage at Newark Airport brings a deep-rooted bramble of other debilitating problems to light.