FlightFollowerPilots Distracted by Laptops: Missed destination by 150 Miles
Northwest 188: The Flight That Passed Minneapolis by 150 Miles
Northwest Airlines Flight 188 was a routine Airbus A320 service from San Diego to Minneapolis on October 21, 2009. Instead of landing at Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the aircraft continued approximately 150 miles beyond its destination while air traffic controllers repeatedly tried to contact the crew.
The aircraft was cruising at 37,000 feet when the pilots became absorbed in a discussion about the airline's new crew-scheduling system. Both pilots used personal laptops during the discussion, contrary to company policy. The cockpit remained on autopilot, but the crew's attention was diverted from monitoring the aircraft and radio traffic.
Controllers lost contact with the flight for more than an hour. Attempts to reach the aircraft by radio and company dispatch messages went unanswered. The situation became serious enough that authorities considered the possibility that the crew was incapacitated.
A flight attendant eventually contacted the cockpit to ask about the arrival. The pilots then realized they had passed Minneapolis. They re-established communication and were given vectors back toward the airport. The aircraft landed safely with all passengers and crew aboard.
The NTSB investigation found that the pilots' distraction was central to the event. The FAA subsequently revoked both pilots' certificates, citing the seriousness of their conduct.
Northwest 188 remains one of the clearest examples of how a highly automated airliner can continue safely along a programmed route while the human crew loses awareness of where the aircraft actually is. The airplane did not suddenly fail. The system continued doing what it had been instructed to do while the people responsible for monitoring it became detached from the flight.
Accident Facts
- Date
- 21 October 2009
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320, N374NW
- Flight
- Northwest 188
- Route
- San Diego to Minneapolis
- Event
- Overflew Minneapolis by about 150 miles
- Outcome
- Safe return and landing
- Passengers
- 144 reported in contemporary sources
- Category
- Incident / Emergency
- Cause
- Crew distraction while using laptops and discussing scheduling
Sources
- Video source (ATC/audio reconstruction)
- NTSB factual material on Northwest 188.
- NTSB Operations Group report.
- Washington Post, 26–27 October 2009.
- ABC News report on released FAA transcripts.
- Video/ATC recording