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ATW Daily News
NTSB confirms pilot fault in Northwest overflight
Friday March 19, 2010
US National Transportation Safety Board determined that last October's Northwest Airlines overflight incident occurred "because the pilots became distracted by a conversation unrelated to the operation of the aircraft."
The incident, in which NWA Flight 188 overflew its destination airport of Minneapolis-St. Paul by more than 100 mi. and had no contact with controllers for approximately 77 min., achieved worldwide notoriety, although the aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely (ATWOnline, Nov. 5, 2009). NTSB also said that air traffic controllers "did not follow procedures to ensure NWA 188 was on the correct frequency, which delayed the identification of the aircraft as NORDO [no radio communications]."
The NTSB investigation confirmed what generally was believed to be the case at the time--that the pilots were discussing a new crew scheduling system and "each was using his personal laptop computer contrary to company policy," NTSB stated.
It appears that earlier in the flight, the first officer mistakenly dialed in an incorrect frequency while the captain was absent from the cockpit. Upon the captain's return, the pilots began discussing the bidding process and opened their laptops, which NTSB said may have blocked their primary flight and navigation displays but not the "upper screen of the electronic centralized aircraft monitor. . .where ACARS MSG blinks." The pilots missed numerous ACARS messages "and at least nine messages" regarding their position on the multifunction control and display unit and the PFDs as they neared MSP.
NTSB found "that a lack of national requirements for recording ATC instructions when using automated flight tracking systems, such as directing an aircraft to switch frequencies or to indicate that an aircraft has checked in on an assigned frequency, was a factor in the controllers' delay in performing necessary actions and notifications required by lost communications procedures."
The incident, in which NWA Flight 188 overflew its destination airport of Minneapolis-St. Paul by more than 100 mi. and had no contact with controllers for approximately 77 min., achieved worldwide notoriety, although the aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely (ATWOnline, Nov. 5, 2009). NTSB also said that air traffic controllers "did not follow procedures to ensure NWA 188 was on the correct frequency, which delayed the identification of the aircraft as NORDO [no radio communications]."
The NTSB investigation confirmed what generally was believed to be the case at the time--that the pilots were discussing a new crew scheduling system and "each was using his personal laptop computer contrary to company policy," NTSB stated.
It appears that earlier in the flight, the first officer mistakenly dialed in an incorrect frequency while the captain was absent from the cockpit. Upon the captain's return, the pilots began discussing the bidding process and opened their laptops, which NTSB said may have blocked their primary flight and navigation displays but not the "upper screen of the electronic centralized aircraft monitor. . .where ACARS MSG blinks." The pilots missed numerous ACARS messages "and at least nine messages" regarding their position on the multifunction control and display unit and the PFDs as they neared MSP.
NTSB found "that a lack of national requirements for recording ATC instructions when using automated flight tracking systems, such as directing an aircraft to switch frequencies or to indicate that an aircraft has checked in on an assigned frequency, was a factor in the controllers' delay in performing necessary actions and notifications required by lost communications procedures."
by Perry Flint
