A nationwide ground stop ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday forced multiple Bay Area athletic programs to alter their travel plans.
The San Jose State football team was taxiing for takeoff at San Jose’s airport when the order halted air traffic, according to the Yahoo Sports report.
The Spartans were bound for a game against Air Force in Colorado Springs when the pilot informed the team of computer issues.
Associate athletics director Sky Kerstein described the scene on the tarmac as the situation unfolded.
“We were on the taxiway, No. 2 for takeoff on one side, and the pilot came on and said they were having computer issues,” Kerstein said.
The traveling party of over 100 people waited on the plane for two hours before returning to the gate and driving back to campus.
Despite the delay, the team remained in good spirits and held their Friday meetings at the football facility.
Other regional teams faced different logistical hurdles due to the aviation crisis.
Cal’s women’s basketball team, originally scheduled to fly to Santa Barbara for a game against UCSB, opted to travel by bus instead, per local outlets.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors managed to avoid the worst of the delays.
Stephen Curry was able to fly home to the Bay Area for medical rehabilitation shortly before the groundings began.
Other healthy Warriors players are currently scheduled to depart for New Orleans on Saturday morning, though uncertainty remains regarding potential impacts.
“We have no idea how that’ll affect us tomorrow,” head coach Steve Kerr said, as reported by the Yahoo Sports coverage.
Cal and Stanford football teams avoided the disruption because they had already departed for their East Coast games on Thursday.
The FAA lifted the nationwide ground stop around 5:30 p.m. Friday, allowing for a gradual resumption of air traffic across the country.
San Jose State now plans to resume its journey to Colorado on Saturday morning ahead of their scheduled kickoff.