Plot thickens on Northwest airline overshooting saga

New information reveals attempts to contact pilots were scuppered

Travel Insurance News - 19/12/2009

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The Northwest Airline saga where a plane overshot its destination by a hundred miles seems to be digging up more controversies. Interviews with the cabin crews and other data collected were released by the National Transportation Safety Board. According to these reports, the pilots aboard the Airbus A320 went pass the destination airport by more than 100 miles.

The captain of that flight, Timothy Cheney reported that while working on his laptop, he glanced at the computer controls only to find that the flight information programmed in to the A320’s computer was suddenly wiped out. The navigation systems reported Duluth, Minnesota to his left and Eau Claire Wisconsin to his right. Air traffic controllers and airline dispatchers tried to get in touch with the pilots but in vain. The plane was reportedly out of radio contact for over 77 minutes.

After the carrier flew pasts its destination and was out of contact for over 77 minutes, national security concerns were raised and the military were gearing up to send fighter pilots out to intercept the plane.

Also , a flight attendant Barbara Logan, reportedly called the cockpit up at 8.15pm to inquire about the landing but was hung up on. The chief flight attendant also tried calling for gate information and was also hung up on. Only much later the was cabin crew able to contact the cockpit.

The captain and the First officer Richard Cole were apparently absorbed in working out a complicated scheduling programme that they were supposed to learn on their laptop that Delta Airlines’ acquisition of Northwest airlines had made mandatory.

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