150 miles!!!???

[tracy d]

OMG! They "Overshot" the runway...by 150 miles!! Wow that gives me faith in the airlines, how about you? :suspect:They say they were in a "heated discussion", what do you all think???:bonk::dunce:

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[cx]

What do we all think?

Well, at least one of us thinks you aughta should give us just a teeny tiny little hint what you might be talkin' about. :)

[tracy d]

So sorry CX, It has been on the news alot here! Of course not everyone watches that nasty program...:blah:
NW Airlines Pilots flew 150 miles past there destination before realizing they were "a little off target"! 150 MILES! They said they were having a "heated discussion" about 'Airline Rules'! Apparently they weren't concerned with the Airline Rule about landing at the airport they are headed for, not flying 150 miles beyond.:uhh::neesie:

[kate42]

Story below

http://www.newser.com/article/d9bgi3680/airplane-flew-150-miles-past-minneapolis-airport-pilots-say-they-were-engrossed-in-discussion.html#

[Tilehelperdan]

Im betting they were sleeping or knocking boots. But yeah, over an hour with no radio contact is not a good thing.

[dgunnels]

Perhaps a GPS would be helpful. Mine notifies me of my arrival and I can even hear it over my stereo which might be just a wee bit loud on occaision.

Dan, surely they wouldn't be stupid enough to errrr, knock boots, in the cockpit knowing that everything is going to be recorded. Of course, one is reminded that it is referred to as the cockpit for a reason.

[Saldibs]

"heated discussion",
They were having a heated discussion in their dreams, or maybe they were dreaming about having a heated discussion, my guess is that they were just dreaming.:D

[cx]

Thanks for the link, Kate. :)

Unusual story, but not rare.

Hunnert fifty miles don't take long at those speeds, Tracy. Hell, if John Bridge had been one of the guys in that "heated discussion," plane mighta got out over the Atlantic before they noticed anything. :D

[dgunnels]

Well met CX! :D

[tracy d]

Doesn't really matter in my mind how long 150 miles takes! And it might be excusable if'n it were John Bridge hisself!! But really, an hour of no radio?? A lot can happen in that time for the guy (who coulda been) flyin my kid home!

[cx]

Oh, I suppose a lot could happen, Tracy, but not anything to get gray hairs over. Big sky up there, eh? And at that altitude the air traffic controllers can see everybody up there and they know who all of'em are. Real laws say citizens can't fly up there anonymously and everybody who does fly up there is required to have certain electronic equipment what identifies the aircraft.

Long as that plane stayed at altitude (equipment automatically tells the controllers that) and on mostly the same course, would raise eyebrows and result in some serious conversations in the control center, but wouldn't cause any real harm. They'd tag the "target" as NORDO (no radio) or maybe even HIJAK and alla sectors he might enter would be keepin' a close eye on him.

If he started to make a big turn or to descend (again, all automatically reported), then things onna ground would get a little more exciting. And for sure he would git hisownself one of them escorts from them fellas inna little jets with alla pointy rockets and stuff on'em.

Mostly harmful to the pilot's reputation, and that of his airline, and possibly to his "ticket" (pilot's license). Made for good stories inna break room and prolly woke up a couple of controllers, too. :D

He does that down around ten thousand feet steada thirty-seven thousand and it would be of much greater concern, of course. Yep, yep, much better stories inna break room then. :)

[tracy d]

Ahhhhh...The 'Voice of Reason' as usual CX! I suppose you are MOSTLY right! Then again, well, never mind, of course you are!:bow: That why you get the biggest hat I guess.:D Still I'm glad it wasn't my BIL Flyin' that woulda been embarrassing! Maybe not, he's my ex-BIL now! I wonder if the sky was blue up there!?

[cx]

No ma'am, the sky was dark green. And the airplane was light green. And alla information about the airplane was light green.

Yep, that's the way everything looks in an air route traffic control center, which is where alla guys was who was makin' fun of that pilot fella. :D

[jjwq8]

And where was the air national guard to shoot them down????????????
Or the ground controllers to scream into their head sets?
Or the cabin staff who should have some notion of where and when?
wasn't just the pilots asleep at the wheel!

[tracy d]

Well Jeremy,
The F-16's (or whichever they were) were on the ground ready & waiting for the order to fly, and the Air Traffic Controllers from the region were trying for over an hour to reach them (13 different ones attempting contact). But the flight crew??? Maybe they were in the cockpit too!:shrug::aparty:

[jjwq8]

Ah, so unlike DC and NYC, Minneapolis and its environs do not warrant such an armed response. Good news if you live up there!

[kate42]

Knocking Boots? :rofl::rofl:

Never heard that before. Too funny for words.:lol1::lol1:

[ceramictec]

Pilots' Use of Laptops Violated Company Policy, Investigators Say

By ANDY PASZTOR

Federal safety investigators said the pilots of Northwest Flight 188 violated company policy by opening up laptops in midair, as the distracted pilots discussed work-scheduling issues while failing to monitor the airplane or calls from air-traffic controllers.

In an update of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board on Monday said the two pilots – who were both experienced and had more than 5,000 hours of flight time in the Airbus A320 model -- became so involved in the discussion that they also failed to notice messages sent by company dispatchers to try re-eestablish communication with the ground.

According to the board, "neither pilot was aware of the airplane's position until a flight attendant called [on the intercom] about five minutes before they were scheduled to land and asked" about their estimated time of arrival. At that point, the board said, the captain looked at his primary cockpit display and realized the aircraft had flown past Minneapolis.

The finding came after the pilots on Sunday told investigators that a bathroom break, chatting with a flight attendant in the cockpit and then taking out their laptops to discuss work schedules created distractions that led to more than an hour of radio silence with air-traffic controllers, according to people familiar with the statements.

The sequence of events laid out by the pilots in interviews with the NTSB, these people said, refutes the notion that the pilots nodded off at the controls. Instead, the pilots' statements highlight how a combination of seemingly mundane human factors can combine to create major distractions and mental lapses by cockpit crews. In this case, the jetliner stayed on autopilot and cruised past its destination airport by more than 100 miles.

[Davestone]

I would feel better if they were doin the boot scoot.So immersed in work they lost all time,an hours worth over how long of a flight? Yeah, okay, even a forgetful old fart like me wouldn....what was i talkin about?

[deepwater]

Give me a break. How many times have any of you missed the exit while driving. Thats only 15 mins the wrong way at 600 mph.. (150/600=.25) (.25x60min=15min) :talk:

[cx]

Not quite that simple, Dave.

There's also the matter of the hundred-plus miles in the other direction during which they shoulda been preparing for decent from altitude and being sequenced (if necessary) for approach to the destination, as well as at least a half hour's apparent laps of situational awareness in the cockpit with associated failure to monitor various navigational, flight control, and operational systems.

Actually a pretty serious breach of contract between the flight crew and their company and customers. Not really a matter to dismiss lightly.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[ceramictec]

FAA revokes licenses of wayward Northwest pilots

(AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have revoked the licenses of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who flew past their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles last week.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday the pilots had violated numerous regulations, including failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly.

[Kman]

This wouldn't have been quite the story it has become if it hadn't been for 9/11. Now, every little thing that goes wrong causes a minor panic.