The two Northwest airline pilot who overflew Minneapolis airport 21 October have put part of the blame on air traffic controllers, who were not following standard procedures, court documents show. The documents, filed 24 November, have just been made public. The two are appealing to the Federal Aviation Administration, which removed their pilots’ licenses. They were out of contact with radio control for 77 minutes but the many stories that have circulated about what they were doing have not been confirmed or clarified.
The two Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis by more than 150 miles were using laptops and were distracted, they have admitted, according to US aviation safety officials. They were initially reported to have been arguing, but have denied this. The airline has said it is firing the two, aged 57 and 54, both of whom have thousands of flying hours and clean safety records. The two were reported by officials to have been discussing flight scheduling because a new system is being put in place.
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