How Do Two Pilots Overshoot an Airport?

: Image by gTarded via Flickr

This story has continued to puzzle us.

Pilots of a flight from San Diego to Minneapolis ignored radio calls and flew over 150 miles past the airport. The military was even prepared to intercept. All in all, the pilots of Northwest Flight 188 were nonresponsive for 78 minutes, covering a distance of over 600 miles. With all the attempts to contact them, flashing lights in the cockpit, etc, it is a mystery why this was.

The pilot, Capt. Timothy B. Cheney, and co-pilot Richard I. Cole, claimed they were in “a heated discussion over airline policy and lost situational awareness.” Many suggested that the two actually fell asleep, but it was the first flight of the day for both men, after a 17 hour layover. Both have been suspended, pending investigation.

The copilot, when interviewed, denied the napping allegations, and others. But there is no proof from the voice recorder of anything. It only records 30 minutes, unlike newer ones. Which means that information is long gone, which in itself is suspicious.

It is a mystery. We will stay with this investigation as the NTSB reveals facts.