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NTSB Asks If Northwest Pilots Nodded Off Before Landing
Pilots of a Northwest Airlines flight approaching Minneapolis International Airport Wednesday night temporarily lost radio contact with air-traffic controllers and apparently overshot their destination by about 100 miles. Flight: NWA188 (online.wsj.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Correction .. metering fix serving the MSP terminal area.
Correction .. metering fix serving the MSP terminal area.
The FAA does not "order (sic) a scramble of fighter jets". They advise the DOD after they have reason to believe that something is amiss. In that the flight did not deviate from it's last assigned heading, route or altitude (at least as far as we know), that was probably about 30-45 minutes after the first failed attempt to communicate with them but probably still well short of their destination.
Just out of curiosity, I would like to know how the FMS was configured. It's been a long time since I was in the cockpit as an ATC (a few months prior to 9/11), but the flight had probably been cleared to fly direct to a metering fix serving the SLC terminal area. I would have thought that once the flight reached that point , in the absence of a crewmember entering another mode or fix, the aircraft would enter holding. It is possible, but I don't think likely, that the flight was on an assigned heading.
And, yes, I agree that (a) they were asleep and (b) anyone in the aviation community who thinks that it was OK because nobody was hurt should find themselves another career.
Just out of curiosity, I would like to know how the FMS was configured. It's been a long time since I was in the cockpit as an ATC (a few months prior to 9/11), but the flight had probably been cleared to fly direct to a metering fix serving the SLC terminal area. I would have thought that once the flight reached that point , in the absence of a crewmember entering another mode or fix, the aircraft would enter holding. It is possible, but I don't think likely, that the flight was on an assigned heading.
And, yes, I agree that (a) they were asleep and (b) anyone in the aviation community who thinks that it was OK because nobody was hurt should find themselves another career.
Now that everyone is safe please explain to me why it took ATC so long to think about ordering a scramble of fighter jets. This had all the indications of a hijacking. I cannot imagine ATC trying to contact a crew and getting no response with an overshot to boot and not doing SOMETHING.
On long trips with 2 pilots on board , the FAA should make room for a planned snooze for safty reason
The correct phrase is, "No one was hurt THIS TIME.
Nobody's going to be snoozing, arguing about seniority lists, or using computers on flight decks for a while. "A while", not "forever".
It was sheer luck that nobody was hurt. I think this is a wake-up call and we ought not be hitting the snooze button.
Nobody's going to be snoozing, arguing about seniority lists, or using computers on flight decks for a while. "A while", not "forever".
It was sheer luck that nobody was hurt. I think this is a wake-up call and we ought not be hitting the snooze button.