Well, this is embarrassing for the airline and the pilots...
WASHINGTON — Were the pilots distracted? Catching up on their sleep? Federal investigators struggled to determine what the crew of a Northwest Airlines jetliner were doing at 37,000 feet as they sped 150 miles past their Minneapolis destination and military jets scrambled to chase them. Unfortunately, the cockpit voice recorder may not tell the tale.
A report released late Friday said the pilots passed breathalyzer tests and were apologetic after Wednesday night's amazing odyssey. They said they had been having a heated discussion about airline policy. But aviation safety experts and other pilots were frankly skeptical they could have become so consumed with shop talk that they forgot to land an airplane carrying 140 passengers.
The most likely possibility, they said, is that the pilots simply fell asleep somewhere along their route from San Diego.
"It certainly is a plausible explanation," said Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Va.
Simply fell asleep? Since when is a pilot falling asleep at the controls just a simple mistake? With 140 people in your care, you'd think the pilots would be a bit more receptive to the outside conditions of their aircraft - namely where the heck they are. I think something else happened that caused them to overshoot their intended airport.
1. They though they were smuggling 140 American immigrants into Canada. It happens, espicially in this economy.
2. The pilots were watching Season 3 of "Friends on DVD."
3. The pilot slammed on the brakes, but it kept on skidding.
This makes me even more apprehensive about flying? I might be better off getting in a hot air balloon.
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