NWA 188: Airliner overshoots airport by 150 miles...

[rrpilot]

Here's an interesting article about a Northwest crew that missed Mpls by 150 miles and dropped out of communication...the military even thought the plane was being hijacked at one point....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_bi_ge/us_northwest_airport_overflown

 

[LowWingLoad]

"The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew told authorities they became distracted during a heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their location."


Think someone in one of the two seats doesn't like how the senority list is gonna work now that they are Delta?

 

[D_Rob]

The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew told authorities they became distracted during a heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their location.

For an hour and a half!!!!

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

It would've been a juicier story if the fighters had pulled up next to them. I'm surprised no passengers looked down at their watch and asked why they were running late.

 

[jarhead]

"The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew told authorities they became distracted during a heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their location."

Think someone in one of the two seats doesn't like how the senority list is gonna work now that they are Delta?

For an hour and a half!!!!

i bet they fell asleep...the voice recorders will tell...

 

[RHPF]

i bet they fell asleep...the voice recorders will tell...

Agreed. I am not sure that we will find out if that was the case though.

 

[BACONATOR]

distracted for 1.5? Kinda hard to believe. Good call on the sleep-at-the-wheel hypothesis. I'd say it's a good possibility. Even the biggest weight-on-ass-switch and helmet-fire sufferer probably wouldn't get THAT far off unless there was another explanation.

EDIT: After a thread a while ago discussing how airlines, to save money, plan fuel down to the pound just to take on FAA minimums to save weight... I wonder how much they carry in reserve, that they were able to make it to the destination after a large overshoot without running pretty low.

 

[Flugelman]

Attention to detail

For an hour and a half!!!!

If their airspeed was 60 kts...

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

If their airspeed was 60 kts...

That's what I was thinking. I feel like there is an exaggeration in play.

 

[scoolbubba]

Yea, more like 20 minutes.

 

[AJTranny]

I think the article claims they were NORDO for 1.5 hours and finally restored comms once they were 150 miles past. I guess the article claims they went NORDO somewhere inbetween starting airport and Minn.

 

[slug]

Either way, they should be fired, immediately.

The excuse they gave is even worse than falling asleep. You mean you were so emotionally buried in an argument and clueless that you flew 100 miles past your destination and repeatedly failed to answer ATC. Thank you for your BS, now give me your wings.

I've BS'd too long and missed securing a fuel transfer for about 2 mins, sometimes missed an ATC call, even nodded off on long quiet cross countries, never fully asleep, but overflying your destination is the definition of clueless.

If Northwest keeps these guys on, that will be one fewer airline that I will ride on.

 

[C420sailor]

And the third theory: busy joining the Mile High Club with the flight attendants?

 

[slug]

And the third theory: busy joining the Mile High Club with the flight attendants?

Dude, over an hour to finish--they make pills for that now!

 

[VulcanRider]

The article says that Denver center tried to hand them off, and couldn't contact them. I don't see how anyone can get so caught up in an argument and totally forget what they are supposed to be doing for an hour and a half. Sleeping sounds more reasonable.