Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Northwest Pilots Were Working on Laptops: NTSB

Captain, first officer deny falling asleep in cockpit

By M. Morris, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 26, 2009 3:12 PM CDT

(Newser) – The pilots of the Northwest flight that wandered 150 miles past its destination were working on their personal laptops in the cockpit, a violation of company policy. The two denied falling asleep and could hear the radio when they fell out of communication with ground... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

17 comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

Miami Face-Eater Identified

Minneapolis Star Tribune (Source Grid »)

Money • US

Iraq • Northwest Airlines • aviation • air travel • Minneapolis airport • laptop

More Newser Stories

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing

Investigation continues into errant Northwest flight

(NEWSER) - The passengers aboard the Northwest flight that overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles—possibly while the pilots napped—didn't have a clue anything was amiss beyond a nagging sense that the flight was taking a long time. One tells the Star Tribune that he asked about it, and a flight attendant returned 10 minutes later with the puzzling reply, "I have no idea when we're going to get to the terminal." More»

All Flyers From 14 Nations to Be Patted Down

Tough new air security crackdown begins today

(NEWSER) - In the toughest new airline security rules in history, all US-bound passengers from 14 nations considered state sponsors of terrorism or "countries of interest" will be patted down, and their carry-on baggage will be searched. The new rules will apply beginning today to travelers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, MSNBC reports. More»

Northwest Pilots Clammed Up After Overshooting Airport

FAA transcript shows pair blaming silence on 'cockpit distractions'

(NEWSER) - Air traffic controllers who sought an explanation from the pilots of the "runaway plane," which overshot the Minneapolis airport by about 100 miles last month, got little satisfaction. After being out of radio contact for over an hour, controllers asked the crew of Northwest Flight 188 for a "brief explanation" of their radio silence, according to transcripts the FAA released today. "Ah [just] cockpit distractions, that's all I can say," one of the pilots responded. More»

Northwest Pilot: We Weren't Sleeping

But he won't offer more details on why they overshot airport

(NEWSER) - One of the pilots of the infamous Northwest flight that missed the airport says neither he nor his co-pilot were napping. "I can assure you none of us was asleep," says Richard Cole, who gave separate interviews to ABC and the AP. "It was not a serious event, from a safety issue." So what gives? We may not know until federal investigators finish their inquiry, which will be next week at the earliest. More»

Russia Now World's Most Dangerous Nation to Fly

Series of deadly crashes blamed on lax regulation

(NEWSER) - Russia is now, mile for mile, the deadliest place in the world to fly, the Wall Street Journal finds. Nine fatal crashes—including one that killed an entire professional hockey team —have claimed a total of 140 lives. While eight of the crashes involved old Soviet-era aircraft, experts say the real problem in the former aerospace superpower is the sloppiness, risk-taking, and ineffective regulation more commonly associated with aviation basket cases like the Congo. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Northwest Pilots Were Working on Laptops: NTSB

Captain, first officer deny falling asleep in cockpit

Iraq • Northwest Airlines • aviation • air travel • Minneapolis airport • laptop

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing

Investigation continues into errant Northwest flight

All Flyers From 14 Nations to Be Patted Down

Tough new air security crackdown begins today

Northwest Pilots Clammed Up After Overshooting Airport

FAA transcript shows pair blaming silence on 'cockpit distractions'

Northwest Pilot: We Weren't Sleeping

But he won't offer more details on why they overshot airport

Russia Now World's Most Dangerous Nation to Fly

Series of deadly crashes blamed on lax regulation

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?