FAA To Investigate Pilots Of NW Airlines Flight 188

The FAA has sent out letters of investigation to the two pilots involved Timothy B. Cheney and First Officer Richard I. Cole. The letters stated "Depending on the outcome of our investigation, this action could lead to emergency suspension or revocation" of their licenses. The pilots of Northwest Airlines (NWA) flight 188 were out of contact with air traffic controllers who frantically tried to reach the plane for 1 hour and 18 minutes.

According to the Federal Administration (FAA) the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police. The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness. The Safety Board is scheduling an interview with the crew. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) have been secured and are being sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington, DC. David Lawrence, the Investigator-in-Charge, is leading the team of 3 in investigating the incident. Parties to the investigation are the FAA and Northwest Airlines. Both pilots denied that they fell asleep during the flight.

Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. – Fighters from two North American Aerospace Defense Command sites were put on alert when the Northwest Airlines commercial airliner that was not responding to radio calls from the Federal Aviation Administration. Before the fighters could get airborne, FAA re-established communications with the pilots of the Northwest Airlines commercial airliner and subsequently, the NORAD fighters were ordered to stand down. NORAD does not discuss locations of alerts sites.

NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that is responsible for the air defense of North America and maritime warning. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

The command is poised to provide a multilayered defense to detect, deter and prevent potential threats from flying over the airspace of the United States and Canada. NORAD's mission is carried out in close collaboration with homeland defense, security, and law enforcement partners.

Update NTSB Says Northwest Pilots’ Distraction Led To Overflight
Update Distracted Northwest Pilots Who Had Licenses Revoked Can Reapply
Update Northwest Pilots Appeal License Being Revoked By The NTSB
update FAA To Provide Timely Response With “No Radio” Events
update Northwest Pilots Licenses Revoked On Flight 188 By FAA
update NW Airlines Flight 188 Pilots Unaware Of Aircraft Potion

Interview: Reo Pratt, Northwest Airlines A320 Aircrew Program Manager (APM)
Interview:     First Officer Richard Irwin Cole
Interview:     Captain Timothy Cheney
Interview:     Bill Trinka, Dispatcher
Interview:     David P. Francisco, Chief Dispatcher
Interview:      Vance Harris, Northwest Airlines Principle Operations Inspector (POI)
Statements - Flight Attendant
Statements - Minneapolis ARTCC Controller
Statements - Denver ARTCC Controller
Selected Air Route Traffic Control Center Transmissions Overlay Report
Revocation letter Richard Cole
Revocation letter Timothy Cheney