Arguing pilots fly 150 miles past runway

Conversation about airline policy meant Northwest Airlines pilots 'lost situational awareness' says flight safety board


Many a person has missed their stop on a bus or train at one time or another because they were engrossed in a weighty conversation or a book.

But when the pilots of Northwest Airlines flight 188 became distracted it had more serious consequences as they overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles.

"They were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) explained.

When the pilots got their "situational awareness" back they turned the Airbus A320 around and landed it safely on Wednesday evening, apparently without any of the 144 passengers realising they had taken a roundabout route.

Ground controllers lost contact with the pilots just before 7pm and radio contact was not re-established for more than an hour. The Federal Aviation Administration notified the military, which put fighter jets on alert at two locations.

The flight was scheduled to land at 8.01pm local time but eventually arrived at 9.15pm, according to Ed Stewart, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, which owns Northwest. Delta has suspended the pilots while it carries out an internal investigation, and the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were being sent to Washington for analysis.

Federal officials are investigating whether pilot fatigue might have played a role, but an NTSB spokesman, Keith Holloway, said the idea that the crew may have fallen asleep was "speculative".

Andrea Allmon, who had been travelling from San Diego on business, said no one on the plane knew anything was amiss until the end of the flight when police boarded. She was "horrified" when she discovered what had happened.

"When I do my job I do my job," she said. "These guys are supposed to be paying attention to the flight. The safety of the passengers should be first and foremost. [It's] unbelievable to me that they weren't paying attention. Just not paying attention."

Guardian

A boy in China has been killed by an office chair after it exploded while he was sitting on it, according to reports.

The 14-year-old boy died from extensive bleeding after the chair’s gas cylinder burst, sending metal chair parts into his rectum.

While pictures of the chair have swept the internet, they did not reveal the boy's name or when the incident allegedly occurred.

A gas cylinder containing compressed air is typical of adjustable office chairs. An air valve operated by a side handle on the chair may be used to raise or lower the seat.

In 2007, another chair reportedly injured a person after exploding in China.

Newspapers said a 68-year-old man escaped with minor injuries after a 20cm chair piece pierced his bottom.

This is so funny and the some parents are so stupid.This was a clip from february 2009