buscap
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A Northwest Airlines crew that has told authorities it was engaged in "a heated discussion over airline policy" is now the subject of a federal investigation, after the A320 they were flying stopped communicating with ground control Wednesday night and flew 150 miles past its destination — Minnneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Northwest flight 188, arriving from San Diego, was carrying 144 passengers and five crew and was supposed to arrive just before 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The plane overflew Minneapolis-St. Paul at 7:58 p.m. and continued about 150 miles northeast. An air traffic controller reestablished contact with the plane at 8:14 p.m.
A release from the National Transportation Safety Board today said that the crew reportedly stated they had become distracted, had overflown the airport and requested to return to the airport.
The plane landed safely at Minneapolis-St. Paul just after 9 p.m. It was greeted at the gate by airport police, who boarded the plane to make sure the loss of radio contact wasn't the result of criminal activity, said Patrick Hogan, an airport spokesman.
Later, FBI and airport police interviewed the crew. The crew then told of their "heated discussion" and said that they had "lost situational awareness," according to the NTSB.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight date recorder from the flight are being sent to an NTSB laboratory in Washington D.C.
The pilots have been "relieved from active flying" while the
investigation continues, a Delta Air Lines spokesman said. Delta is the parent company of Northwest.
"The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority," Delta said in a prepared statement. "We are cooperating with the FAA and NTSB in their investigation as well as conducting our own internal investigation."
Northwest flight 188, arriving from San Diego, was carrying 144 passengers and five crew and was supposed to arrive just before 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The plane overflew Minneapolis-St. Paul at 7:58 p.m. and continued about 150 miles northeast. An air traffic controller reestablished contact with the plane at 8:14 p.m.
A release from the National Transportation Safety Board today said that the crew reportedly stated they had become distracted, had overflown the airport and requested to return to the airport.
The plane landed safely at Minneapolis-St. Paul just after 9 p.m. It was greeted at the gate by airport police, who boarded the plane to make sure the loss of radio contact wasn't the result of criminal activity, said Patrick Hogan, an airport spokesman.
Later, FBI and airport police interviewed the crew. The crew then told of their "heated discussion" and said that they had "lost situational awareness," according to the NTSB.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight date recorder from the flight are being sent to an NTSB laboratory in Washington D.C.
The pilots have been "relieved from active flying" while the
investigation continues, a Delta Air Lines spokesman said. Delta is the parent company of Northwest.
"The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority," Delta said in a prepared statement. "We are cooperating with the FAA and NTSB in their investigation as well as conducting our own internal investigation."