Pilots of a Northwest Airlines flight approaching Minneapolis Wednesday temporarily lost contact with air-traffic controllers and apparently overshot their destination by about 100 miles, in an incident the NTSB is now investigating as a possible case of pilots nodding off at the controls.
*The Wall Street Journal* (WSJ.com), 22 October 2009
Hmmm…very interesting.
How in the world??? I can’t even sleep in a car, regardless of where I’m sitting, for fear that the driver will fall asleep or something will happen and I’d never know - a control issue I suppose. There is absolutely no way that I’d fall asleep in a jet with 100’s of people’s lives in my hands. I understand that fatigue and work rotation plays a part in these things, but that is their job (or actually WAS their job, I should say)…
“Hey Maverick, you got the number for that truck driving school we saw on TV - Truckmasters I think it was? I think I’m gonna need that.”
Fox News is reporting the pilots claim that they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their position. Now Fox is quoting this story
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125623517851801783.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories
NTSB ADVISORY
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
October 22, 2009
NTSB INVESTIGATING FLIGHT THAT OVERFLEW INTENDED MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an
incident where an Airbus A320 overflew the Minneapolis-St Paul
International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport (MSP).
On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at 5:56 pm mountain daylight time,
an Airbus A320, N03274, operating as Northwest Airlines (NWA) flight
188, became a NORDO (no radio communications) flight at 37,000 feet.
The flight was operating as a Part 121 flight from San Diego
International Airport, San Diego, California (SAN) to MSP with 147
passengers and unknown number of crew.
At 7:58 pm central daylight time (CDT), the aircraft flew over the
destination airport and continued northeast for approximately 150
miles. The MSP center controller reestablished communications with
the crew at 8:14 pm and reportedly stated that the crew had become
distracted and had overflown MSP, and requested to return to MSP.
According to the Federal Administration (FAA) the crew was
interviewed by the FBI and airport police. The crew stated they
were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost
situational awareness. The Safety Board is scheduling an interview
with the crew.
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) have
been secured and are being sent to the NTSB laboratory in
Washington, DC.
David Lawrence, the Investigator-in-Charge, is leading the team of 3
in investigating the incident.
Parties to the investigation are the FAA and Northwest Airlines.
I can expand on this with just two words: Payne Stewart.
BL.
What does Payne Stewart have to do with this story? Please explain that to me. TIA
That was a blackout caused by hypoxia I believe, wasn’t it? I mean, I would never intend to fall asleep - if I’m in the process of dying, then of course, hopefully sleep is part of the progression. I assume that’s what you’re getting at - that sometimes you don’t intend to fall asleep, or are you inferring that the pilot’s of that Lear were asleep when the cabin lost pressure?
IIRC, the pilots of the flight that killed Stewart and his group… in fact, the whole lot, decided to take a nap and leave the plane in the controls of the AP. I don’t remember all of the details of it, as I really wasn’t into aviation at that time. What I was expanding on was what WiserTimer had elaborated in his post. Is it relevant to the story? possibly, if the pilots were indeed asleep. If they were, what did happen to the Stewart flight could have happened to this flight.
BL.
Hmm, interesting. I’ve never heard that twist on it before, but you may be right, although I guess we’ll never know for sure. Even more reason why I’ll never fall asleep in a car, bus or plane. Back to my statement though, the main sympton of hypoxia is sleepiness, so perhaps the chain was already in motion by the time they decided to take their nap, not the other way around. And to expand on the theory that these guys were arguing over procedure. It doesn’t matter if they were asleep, fighting over procedure or Megan Fox came into the cockpit and invited them to join the mile high club - their sole job is to fly that plane and make sure the passengers get to their destination safely. No matter what they were doing, they sure as hell weren’t paying attention to what was going on or where they were. Maybe it means something to these pilot’s, but trust me, in the instance where something does go wrong and lawyers are involved, they don’t care how it happened, just who they can blame.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_South … rjet_crash
What is your source for the “Nap Theory”? Never heard that one.
Controllers lost contact with Payne Stewarts plane within 20 minutes after takeoff. Military aircraft deployed to intercept observed the windows frosted over. The aircraft had a loss of pressurization causing the incapacitation of the crew. Not quite the same.
What if these guys feel asleep and was headed for NYC or DC… would we have a shot down airliner?
flightaware.com/live/flight/NWA1 … P/tracklog
Check out the track log, Long and Lat says they didn’t start descending til past Eau Claire, Wisc.
Yeah that sounds like a convenient excuse but bs. Can’t imagine any argument getting so heated you don’t answer a radio and fly over your destination airport at 37,000 feet.
The Stewart pilots and the passengers blacked out and subsequently died due to lack of oxygen or a situation known as hypoxia and this did not happen here.
If you want to see the effects of hypoxia, check this out,
Of course not! At least not that you’d ever know. The same propaganda came about after flight 93 and people accused the military of shooting down an airliner. I doubt that it’s happened yet, but I can see it happening eventually. No matter, if/when it does happen, the cause of the crash will be fuel depletion.
I don’t know but if you look out your window and see this,
i34.photobucket.com/albums/d143/ … rcept1.jpg
I’d start worrying. 
Like others, I have a hard time buying that. They flew past the airport by 100mi, and from fl370 they would have had to start their descent at about 100mi from the airport at the latest. The controller probably tried to give them their descent way before that. 200 miles would probably be 50-55mins flying time. That entire time and them some they were talking non-stop so that they didn’t hear one anybody trying to get a hold of them?
It was probably two women pilots if they talked that long.
I wonder if they were texting each other! Those crazy kids with their FMS’s, type ratings and cell phones!
Wonder how that textversation went…
Capt: cha doin ova there?
FO: 1drn wat hapn 2 the artst fmly known as prnc!
Capt: Isnt he from Minni?
FO: I thk so. 1sec lt me srch usn my “where are they now app”
Capt: BRB goin 2 Btrm 4 #2.
FO: Lol, TMI Cap. No worries, ill cm n getcha if ATC has any amnd clrncs for the dcnt.
Capt: Thas y ur my BFF (Best Flying Friend). Txt me if ya hve issues
FO: Kewl Cap. Dnt tx me though if u hve #2 issues.
20minutes later!
Capt: Dude, dija gt the clrnc for the STAR yet!
FO: ahhhhhhhhhh. TTYL
Yeap im a comedy show writter/pilot wanta be.
Sure SNL writters, go ahead and use my idea for this saturdays sketch. Just make sure ya pay me so I can put the money toward more flight training-can’t drive CG boats forever!
