Northwest Airlines pilots were discussing the new computerized crew-scheduling system that the airline was introducing when they lost time during the flight when they went off-course.

Both the pilots had plenty of experience - Capt. Timothy B. Cheney, 53, of Gig Harbor, Wash., was hired in 1985 and had 20,000 hours of experience, about half of it in A-320s, the kind of plane the crew was flying last Wednesday, between San Diego and Minneapolis. First Officer Richard I. Cole, 54, of Salem, Ore., was hired in 1997 and had about 11,000 hours of experience.

“Neither pilot was aware of the airplane’s position until a flight attendant called about five minutes before they were scheduled to land and asked what was their estimated time of arrival,”the interim report said. By that time, they were still at 37,000 feet and more than 100 miles beyond their destination.Source: www.nytimes.com

The pilots were actually using their laptops while discussing  the new crew scheduling system which allows them to place bids for routes or work shifts by computer. Interestingly, according to Delta's company policy, pilots are not supposed to take their laptops inside the cockpit.

"Each pilot accessed and used his personal laptop computer while they discussed the airline crew flight scheduling procedure," the report said.

"The first officer, who was more familiar with the procedure, was providing instruction to the captain."Neither pilot said he was aware of where the plane was until a flight attendant called the cockpit about five minutes before the plane was to have landed and asked their estimated time of arrival, the report said.

"The captain said, at that point, he looked at his primary flight display for an ETA and realized that they had passed" the airport, it added. After 78 minutes of radio silence, the pilots re-established radio contact with air traffic controllers, it said.

 

Source: CNN

Passengers were given $500 travel vouchers to compensate them for their inconvenience and that the pilots have been suspended until the conclusion of the investigations.

In conclusion, it seems that neither the pilots were napping or drunk or arguing but working on their laptops trying to figure out the new crew scheduling tool. So, who was flying the plane?

Licences of both the pilots — Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Wash., the captain, and Richard Cole of Salem, Ore., the first office, have been revoked. Earlier, the pilots had told the investigatora that they were working on their personal laptop computers and lost track of time and place.

The pilots, who were out of communications with air traffic controllers for 91 minutes, violated numerous federal safety regulations in the incident last Wednesday night, the FAA said in a statement. The violations included failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly, the agency said.

"You engaged in conduct that put your passengers and your crew in serious jeopardy," FAA regional counsel Eddie Thomas said in a letter to Cheney. Northwest Flight 188 was not in communications with controllers or the airline dispatchers "while you were on a frolic of your own. ... This is a total dereliction and disregard for your duties."

A similar letter was sent to Cole.

The pilots said they were brought back to awareness when a flight attendant contacted them on the aircraft's intercom. By then, they were over Wisconsin at 37,000 feet. They turned the Airbus A320 with its 144 passengers around and landed safely in Minneapolis.

The revocations, which apply to the pilots' commercial licenses, are effective immediately, FAA said.

Source: www.google.com

The pilots have 10 days to appeal the emergency revocations to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Endangering the lives of 144 passengers is unacceptable. What if they didn't have enough fuel to land the airplane?