Flightradar - what's going on?

[KenAdams]

All these Russian planes have declared emergencies all at the same time!

No idea, but I'm just having a look myself now.

Hopefully someone will be along with an explanation. @notimagain Do you know?

More have gone red now.

Could it be a problem with a particular type of plane? That's from a quick google. Or (plucked out of my brain) a problem with a control tower?

Ohh 👀

Control Tower, computer systems failure?

If you zoom out on FR, it just shows as one plane. I don't know if that's significant.

I just tried to look at the sqawk code but I think you need the full version as mines shows an icon of a padlock.

This sounds very suspicious to me!

They're all 7700. My phone is going crazy with all the notifications. Looks like all Aeroflot, Rossia and Turkish Airlines flights around Moscow, as well as a Russian Military Emergency Response flight who has decended rapidly to 700ft in the middle of nowhere.

Is 770 a 'General emergency' Ken.

I have paid-for FR and the area is full of red planes with squawk code 7700, not just Russian but Turkish, Indian, Syrian just from a quick look at half a dozen

I know I've seen a news story this week about multiple planes reporting emergencies over Russia, but of course I can:t find the story now

Shit! I've tweeted Flightradar24 to ask for their take on it all.

Just found this story from yesterday.
Russia denies five planes emitted distress signals, blames foreign website glitch | Reuters

They will deny this as well I guess.... wonder if its simply a glitch on flight radar - or Russia testing some time of emergency system?

ooer!

I've only ever used FlightRadar to check whether fights with a family member are on time and for occasional public events (like the last flight of the C130, or the muster of planes for the Jubilee flypast)

I didn't know planes ever went red like that. What does it normally mean? Presumably it's normally just an individual plane?)

Could a widespread one like this be the result of a cyber attack (but on what?)

Yes I know, it doesn't usually happen on this sort of scale.

Military exercise?

Flight radar just tweeted this

Here

Ooh so it's Flightradar that's been hacked?

What does individuals spoofing data mean?

Anonymous at work no doubt.

Looks like most of them have gone back to yellow now.

Adbs exchange is a good alternative to flightradar and nothing on there today.

Late in seeing this (thanks @RainbowZebraWarrior ) but I'd very much go along with Flight Radar HQ's own explanation - their website and/or a feed to it has been corrupted/hacked.

For those worried about the consequences for ATC and others who actually need the data being transmitted from aircraft will process and handle the data differently...