NGoR:W9HQ@Catherby_9 -> Errant piolts miss city while on laptops.

Errant piolts miss city while on laptops., "OMG DUDE 99RCING!!!"

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smada

Posted: Oct 26 2009, 06:11 PM

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QUOTE

WASHINGTON - Two Northwest Airlines pilots told federal investigators that they were going over schedules using their laptop computers in violation of company policy while their plane overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.

The pilots � Richard Cole of Salem, Ore., the first officer, and Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Wash., the captain � said in interviews conducted over the weekend that they were not fatigued and didn't fall asleep, the board said in a statement.

Instead, Cole and Cheney told investigators that they both had their laptops out while the first officer, who had more experience with scheduling, instructed the captain on monthly flight crew scheduling. The pilots were out of communication with air traffic controllers and their airline for more than an hour and didn't realize their mistake until contacted by a flight attendant, the board said.

Many aviation safety experts had said it was more plausible that the pilots had fallen asleep during the cruise phase of their flight than that they had become so focused on a conversation that they lost awareness of their surroundings for more than an hour.

"Both pilots stated that they were not fatigued. They were both commuters, but they had a 19-hour layover in San Diego just prior to the incident flight," the NTSB statement said."

No contact
Air traffic controllers in Denver and Minneapolis repeatedly tried without success to raise the pilots by radio. Other pilots in the vicinity tried reaching the plane on other radio frequencies. Their airline tried contacting them using a radio text message that chimes.

Authorities became so alarmed that National Guard jets were readied for takeoff at two locations and the White House Situation Room alerted senior White House officials, who monitored the airliner carrying 144 passenger and five crew members as it flew across a broad swath of the mid-continent completely out of contact with anyone on the ground.

"It's inexcusable," said former NTSB Chairman Jim Hall. "I feel sorry for the individuals involved, but this was certainly not an innocuous event � this was a significant breach of aviation safety and aviation security."

Safety investigators on Monday were interviewing the three flight attendants from the plane on Monday.

According to the NTSB, Cheney, 53, was hired in 1985 and has a total of about 20,000 hours flight time �about half in an Airbus A-320, the type of plane he was flying Wednesday.

Cole, 54, was hired in 1997 and his total flight time is about 11,000 hours, including about 5,000 hours on the A-320.
Both pilots said they had never had an accident, incident or violation, the agency said.

The pilots acknowledged that while they were engaged in working on their laptops they were not paying attention to radio traffic, messages from their airline or their cockpit instruments, the board said. That's contrary to one of the fundamentals of commercial piloting, which is to keep attention focused on monitoring messages from controllers and watching flight displays in the cockpit.

"It is unsettling when you see experienced pilots who were not professional in flying this flight," said Kitty Higgins, a former NTSB board member. "This is clearly a wakeup call for everybody."

Delta Air Lines, the parent company of Northwest, said the pilots will remain suspended until the conclusion of the investigations.

"Using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to the pilots' command of the aircraft during flight is strictly against the airline's flight deck policies and violations of that policy will result in termination," the airline said.

The Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents major U.S. airlines, expects pilots to comply with federal regulations and airline policies, but has not taken a position on the use of electronic devices by pilots while in the cockpit, ATA spokeswoman Elizabeth Merida said.

Pilot schedules are tied to their seniority, which also determines the aircraft they fly and layoff protection. Those at the top of the list get first choice on vacations, the best routes and the bigger planes that they get paid more for flying.

Following Delta's acquisition of Northwest last October, an arbitration panel ruled that the pilot seniority lists at the two carriers should be integrated based on pilots' status and aircraft category.

The panel ruled that pilots from one carrier would not, for a period of time, be able to fly certain planes the other carrier brought to the combination.

The panel's decision affected the roughly 12,000 pilots of Delta and Northwest.

Pilot denies sleeping
Cle has said he and Cheney were not sleeping or arguing in the cockpit. "It was not a serious event, from a safety issue," Cole said late Friday in front of his Salem, Ore., home. "I would tell you more, but I've already told you way too much."

He would not discuss why it took so long for the pilots to respond to radio calls, "but I can tell you that airplanes lose contact with the ground people all the time. It happens. Sometimes they get together right away; sometimes it takes awhile before one or the other notices

Seems a bit irresponsible to me.. for example when I am at work I dont text while I break tables...

REF: \LINK

This post has been edited by smada on Oct 26 2009, 06:16 PM

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Kei Letal	Posted: Oct 26 2009, 07:51 PM
White Knight Group: Honored Member (2+) Posts: 519 Member No.: 13,683 Joined: 8-December 08	Haha, just a little? For someone to be as experienced as them, then to disregard one of the highest rules of being on a plane is rather rediculous. I personally don't text or anything. At most I'll call, but not on a plane of all places... -------------------- "Look down at me, see a Fool. Look up at me, see your Lord. Look straight at me, see Yourself." for some forum-based RP action.

Dominion	Posted: Nov 3 2009, 03:29 PM
Maintenance Team Group: Guardian Posts: 16,157 Member No.: 1 Joined: 4-December 03	We discussed this at work. Wasn't aware it was real news, and actually already posted on here. One of the guys from work said they were probably playing World of Warcraft, and lost track of time. And yeah, highly unlikely they were discussing "scheduling" and overshot their landing zone by 150 miles. -------------------- ~ Dominion � "When I came into the game, they didn't do nothing but doubt me. Now, the whole game's changed, and it ain't nothing without me." [MySpace: Kire667, NG] [YouTube: Kire667, NG] [Cabal: Dominion667] [Runescape2: CatHerby 9, Kire667, NGoR36, NGoR46] [XB360: Dominion667, Kire668]

teir	Posted: Nov 3 2009, 09:29 PM
H Member Group: Honored Member (2+) Posts: 1,071 Member No.: 526 Joined: 14-April 05	i find this reasonable..they are after all just human we make mistakes sometimes... if you look at their flight times they have flown for without any mishaps is pretty good so one mistake isnt that bad, i think the suspension is just but if any other actions are taken against these pilots i think it would be overdueing it. -------------------- Retired Revalation 22:2 " the river of life proceeded to flow from the throne of God, and on either side of the bank there was the tree of life, and the leaf from that tree is for the healing of the nations" Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man." Stay True wear blue cuzz GBC^ R.I.P. Kyle Draayer(nigz) R.I.P. Mark Dreger Look Down At Me, See A Fool, Look Up At Me, See Your Lord, Look Straight At Me See Yourself

smada

Posted: Nov 3 2009, 11:43 PM

H Member

Group: Honored Member (2+)
Posts: 81
Member No.: 1,490
Joined: 23-July 06

QUOTE

i find this reasonable..they are after all just human we make mistakes sometimes...

if you look at their flight times they have flown for without any mishaps is pretty good so one mistake isnt that bad, i think the suspension is just but if any other actions are taken against these pilots i think it would be overdueing it.

Teir: I agree, they shouldnt lose their jobs for a stupid desicion. But by putting them down hard, Air companies clarify their expectations and deture (<-spelling)
further issues.

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"In chaotic times such as these, our ony hope of survival lies within eventual order."

teir	Posted: Nov 3 2009, 11:58 PM
H Member Group: Honored Member (2+) Posts: 1,071 Member No.: 526 Joined: 14-April 05	ye i just would hate to see em lose their job over this thats all -------------------- Retired Revalation 22:2 " the river of life proceeded to flow from the throne of God, and on either side of the bank there was the tree of life, and the leaf from that tree is for the healing of the nations" Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man." Stay True wear blue cuzz GBC^ R.I.P. Kyle Draayer(nigz) R.I.P. Mark Dreger Look Down At Me, See A Fool, Look Up At Me, See Your Lord, Look Straight At Me See Yourself

Dominion	Posted: Nov 14 2009, 03:48 PM
Maintenance Team Group: Guardian Posts: 16,157 Member No.: 1 Joined: 4-December 03	Yeah, but what about all the fuel wasted? And they had to board another airlines to get where they should have been perhaps an hour or so sooner? But I suppose it beats waiting around for delayed or canceled flights at an airport, like I had to endure. By the way, I hate traveling. I prefer to stay at home and keep my computer warm (not like that...). And another bright side to this tale. At least they didn't wreck into any towers while blind flying. -------------------- ~ Dominion � "When I came into the game, they didn't do nothing but doubt me. Now, the whole game's changed, and it ain't nothing without me." [MySpace: Kire667, NG] [YouTube: Kire667, NG] [Cabal: Dominion667] [Runescape2: CatHerby 9, Kire667, NGoR36, NGoR46] [XB360: Dominion667, Kire668]

smada	Posted: Nov 15 2009, 07:21 PM
H Member Group: Honored Member (2+) Posts: 81 Member No.: 1,490 Joined: 23-July 06	Erik: You have a dark twisted sense of humor... and I like that in my gaming friends. -------------------- "In chaotic times such as these, our ony hope of survival lies within eventual order."

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