Wayward pilots' licenses revoked, but larger questions remain

The Minneapolis skyline rises through the rain as an arriving Northwest Airlines jet taxis at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Oct. 23.

 

The FAA moved quickly to revoke Northwest pilots' licenses. But their mistake raises thorny issues. Do cockpits need better monitoring? Does communication between flight controllers and the US military need improvement?

These two pilots flew a bit too far beyond the boundaries of federal standards. At least 150 miles too far.

That's the message delivered Tuesday as the Federal Aviation Administration revoked the licenses of the Northwest Airlines pilots who made national headlines for overshooting the Minneapolis airport.

They said they were distracted while using laptop computers during a discussion about a new flight-crew scheduling system.

But the FAA didn't take much time deciding that the crew's actions were essentially a firing offense.

"The pilots were out of contact with air traffic controllers for an extended period of time," the FAA said in a statement explaining its action. "Air traffic controllers and airline officials repeatedly tried to reach them through radio and data contact, without success."

The pilots, the agency said, violated a number of regulations, including "operating carelessly and recklessly."

The use of laptops in the cockpit also violated a company policy.