Notification system for drone pilots down nationwide, FAA says

WASHINGTON - A system that helps drone pilots navigate the airspace is down nationwide, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"The FAA is experiencing a nationwide outage of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability," officials tweeted Monday. "Airspace authorizations are currently ONLY available through the FAADroneZone until further notice."

According to the FAA, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability provides drone pilots with access to controlled airspace at or below 400 feet, helps pilots remain aware of where they cannot fly and provides air traffic control with visibility into where and when drones are operating. 

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The LAANC is a partnership between the FAA and private industry to support unmanned aircraft system access to previously restricted airspace.

Pilots simply submit an access request through a cell phone app, which then goes to the local air traffic control tower. Requests are checked against airspace data, including temporary flight restrictions.

The FAADroneZone is a website that also allows pilots to request airspace authorizations to fly their drones. However, authorization can take up to 45 days, according to its website. 

This is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.