Last week, Northwest Flight 188 overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles, and the pilots were interviewed this weekend to determine what happened. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released information today that the pilots were using their laptops and lost track of time. The pilots were talking about the new monthly crew flight scheduling system put into place when Northwest Airlines merged with Delta Airlines, and then each pilot used their laptop.
Both pilots said they heard the conversation on the radio, but didn't hear specific messages for their aircraft. "Using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to the pilots' command of the aircraft during flight is strictly against the airlines flight deck policies and violations of that policy will result in termination," according to a statement released from Delta Airlines on Monday. For a detailed report of everything that occurred, click here to view the story on CNN.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was notified and fighter jets were prepped to go if needed. This morning, CNN questioned why flight officials didn’t notify NORAD sooner. NORAD was notified approximately one hour after Flight 188 lost communication, but not until after the plane overshot the airport.
After September 11 many security issues have changed, especially when dealing with the FAA, airports and planes. CNN stated that perhaps after this investigation is complete that laws concerning air traffic safety may still need to change.
7:56 pm EST – Flight 188 lost communication
8:58 pm EST – Flight 188 overshoots airport and continues for 150 miles
9:14 pm EST – Contact with Flight 188 is re-established
The US Department of Engineers contracted with Utah construction to build a massive underground tunnel for NORAD's international combat operations center, for a photo of the project, click here.
Source: CNN and Delta Airlines
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