GPS jamming is usually a story from the Baltic, the Black Sea or the Middle East. In the early hours of Friday 25 September, it was a story from Los Angeles. Crews on at least two United Airlines flights told air traffic controllers that GPS interference was affecting their navigation over Southern California.
Nobody has yet said where the interference came from. The aircraft flew on safely, as airliners are designed to do without satellite navigation. But the reports come only months after a fatal medevac crash in New Mexico happened while the US military was jamming GPS nearby.
Quick Facts
- When: Early hours of Friday 25 September 2026 (around 00:36 and 01:15 local time)
- Where: Los Angeles area and the offshore Pacific corridor off Southern California
- Flights: United UA1962 (Airbus A321neo from LAX) and United UA1866; AIRLIVE also lists Alaska Airlines AS222
- Reported: GPS interference affecting onboard satellite navigation, reported to ATC
- Outcome: No damage or loss of control; aircraft continued on backup navigation
- Cause: Not identified; no official explanation so far
What the Crews Reported
According to AeroTime, United Flight 1962, an Airbus A321neo out of LAX, reported navigation problems at 00:36 local time, and United Flight 1866 followed at 01:15. AIRLIVE says an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 on flight AS222 was also affected and describes the interference as covering Los Angeles airspace and the offshore corridor.
It is not clear how many other aircraft were affected. AIRLIVE reports that possible sources under review include ground-based jammers, unauthorised radio transmissions and military electronic testing on the nearby coastal ranges. None has been confirmed.
Why an Airliner Keeps Flying
Losing GPS is not the same as losing the ability to navigate. Airliners carry inertial reference systems that track position from accelerometers and gyros, and they can still use ground-based radio aids such as VOR and DME. Crews switch to those, tell ATC, and controllers can provide radar vectors.
The problem is everything else that now depends on satellite signals. As the FAA points out, interference can affect navigation, surveillance and timing systems, not just the moving map. ADS-B position reports can degrade, some approach procedures become unavailable, and terrain warning systems may lose accuracy. That matters most for smaller aircraft with fewer backups.
A Warning From New Mexico
US GPS interference has already been linked to a fatal accident. On 14 May 2026, a King Air air ambulance crashed into a mountain near Ruidoso, New Mexico, killing both pilots and two flight nurses. According to AOPA's account of the NTSB preliminary report, the crew reported losing GPS capability shortly before the crash, while White Sands Missile Range was conducting a GPS jamming exercise with an effect radius of 240 nautical miles. The investigation is still open, and no probable cause has been determined.
Southern California has its own test ranges. The Southern California Aviation United Working Group lists scheduled GPS testing in September 2026 at China Lake, Point Mugu, Edwards and Twentynine Palms, announced in advance by NOTAM. Whether any of it has anything to do with Friday's reports is not known. Elsewhere, crews are dealing with far more interference: Swiss crews report spoofing daily, and spoofing reports have risen sharply over the past two years.
Flightradar24 explains the difference between GPS jamming and spoofing, and how the interference shows up in flight tracking data.
The FAA asks pilots to report every GPS anomaly through its reporting system. If more reports come in from the LA basin, investigators should be able to narrow down where the interference came from.
Sources: AeroTime, AIRLIVE, AOPA, Southern California Aviation United Working Group
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