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When a pilot loses his license - the nasty letter from the FAA
When two Northwest Airlines pilots were screwing around on their laptop computers and overshot Minneapolis airport, most people knew these guys wouldn't be flying any time soon.
Aviation news web site Jetwhine.com managed to snag a copy of the letter the FAA sent to the pilots explaining why their licenses were being revoked. It is a pretty interesting read, though if you are pilot, this is obviously the letter you never ever want to get in your mailbox. The letter is downright brutal, but it does give some very specific details about the decision, and what exactly went wrong.
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 5)
Michael Richardson Nov 8th 2009 2:58AM
Brian, As a commercial Pilot myself I agree with you 100% on your comment...
Roberta Nov 8th 2009 2:42AM
I find it strange that an airplane was 1 1/2 hrs late for landing and past their destination, no communication from the pilots, and no one said, Hmmm, has the plane been hi jacked? Should we send planes up to guide it down in case it has been? I dont recall this ever being mentioned. Please correct me if im wrong.
Jake Nov 8th 2009 2:53AM
They use the word "frolic" and you start to think its a fake? Do you even have the brain cells and reading skills to fully understand the rest of the letter?
I wonder about people born after 84'. Soon our language will be nothing more than abbreviations, internet slang, and short burst thinking thanks to twitter and text messaging. Yay. America is going south as the rest of the world gets brighter and brighter. You all wonder why they are pulling all the money out from America... They are bringing it to China where hundreds of millions of new consumers await. Just wait until the Chinese are walking around with Chase bank cards, and all the while they are using tax money to get themselves set up over there! Go us, we'll be the new China making all kinds of wonderful little toys for the Chinese. Every single one of us. Three Hundred million people, hard-working people in America, that is plenty of people enslaved in a government-dependent society. Awesome! And people still drink Aspartame and use products with synthetic hormones in them. Check your shower gel lately?
I can't type in these things anymore, before I know it, I start spilling all the secrets that are right in front of everyone!
This sucks.
Pete Nov 8th 2009 3:02AM
Oh come on people--What happened was one of them tells the other "I'm going to catch a few ZZZ--You take over". The other pilot says Ok buddy-I've got it" and then he fell asleep. Then one of the flight attendants buzz's them on the intercom and wakes them up when even she realizes that they should have landed sooner. End of story.
AgentXXX Nov 8th 2009 3:19AM
I find it funny how willing people are to condemn the actions of anyone but themselves. I don't know these guys and have never met them, but I have flown and I am not about to judge them on the conduct they engage in while doing their job; the cockpit of a modern airliner is so automated that they really don't even need to stay in the cockpit while it's in flight.
Besides, I heard that there was an actual record on the computer servers that the airline uses that shows they both had logged-into their personal accounts and had been active while the accounts were open.
I'mawakeandpilotsshouldbe2 Nov 9th 2009 12:37PM
I think all planes should be designed so the passengers can always see what the pilots are doing....the door to their little room should be transparent plexiglass and there should be a video camera on them at all times so their air traffic controllers can monitor them. Too bad all that is necessary but it obviously is.
Cynthia Nov 8th 2009 3:34AM
Anyone in their right mind would not have wanted to be on that flight, a 150 miles past their destination. As for equating it to the banks and getting bonuses give me a break. The banking situation no doubt is a financial fiascial and melt down but we can live with and recover from it. You cannot recover from a plane crashing killing everyone on board and possibly hundreds or more on the ground. They got exactly what was called for fired. I wouldn't want to fly any flight a pilot didn't get enough sleep before they got into the cock pit. Too many lives can be lost.
steven Nov 8th 2009 7:11AM
I hear it is common for one or the other(pilots) to take a nap on a long flight. Never are both pilots asleep,well should not be anyway. I am just wondering why has nobody ask ,WHERE WAS THE FLIGHT ENGINEER? What was he doing? Could it be they didnt even know they were asleep due to a malfunction in the oxygen system? The plane is set at an altitude above sea level NOT ground level. So if there was a malfunction and they had affects of HYPOXIA they would never know they nodded off,then going to a higher ground elevation inturn making the air more dense,more oxy in the air, taaa-daaa woke up.
F Nov 8th 2009 5:21AM
In my opinion these two pilots violated the public trust and potentially put innocent people unecessarily in danger. This type of thing should have a zero tolerance. It doesn`t matter what they were actually doing. If it was up to me the loss of their pilots license would just be a start of the penalties that they would recieve.
Passengers on board this flight paid for a flight that should have been as safe and on schedule as possible. These men seem to have other priorities. This can not be tolerated. Id jail them to send the strongest message possible. Then they`d never have to worry about their work scedule ever again!!!
littlemistylady Nov 8th 2009 6:37AM
Good, they should be fired. I use my computer constantly, however, I hear the phone, see lights going off and on, etc. You get the point....they were asleep. You would have thought one of them could have stayed awake while the other napped. How stupid and dangerous. Glad they're not flying above my head anymore. Time to clear the rest of the sleepers out too.
upurs Nov 8th 2009 7:28AM
the bankers should have been fired too
SLR Nov 8th 2009 7:28AM
they did scramble fighter jets, the pilots called ATC(air traffic control) before they got to them,also ATC had the plane move in a zig-zag motion,changing headings, coming back to be sure the pilots were the ones in control . Also if the pilot can, in a highjack, they put code 7500 in the transponder. This alerts ATC of a highjacking, which the 9/11 highjackers knew from going to pilot school and made sure the pilots didnt use it.
Tom Nov 8th 2009 11:13AM
I never said I was an airline pilot. You are too quick to jump to conclusions. I flew back and forth from Maryland to Florida for years and if you are up to it maybe you can do the math. If you are at 10.500 ft. and you are one hour away from your traffic pattern altitude and want to get down to 1000 ft. If you trim to 200 ft a minute, It will take forty seven and a half minutes. So if you are at 30,000 ft and want to decend to 1000 ft. at 500 ft a minute, it would take you 58 minutes. What do you fly, a kite?
Tom Nov 8th 2009 11:23AM
To BooBoomack I never said I was an airline pilot, You sound like some of the other smart ass snobs that I have met at airports. Do the math. If you are at 30,000ft. and want to decend to TPA. 1000ft. and you decend at 500 fpm. it would take you 58 minutes. I don't know how fast commercial planes decend, but I do know about general aviation and have over 3000 hours in the left seat. What do you fly, a recliner? or do you just run your mouth?