Criminal Defense

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The first officer of the Northwest Airlines jet that missed its destination by 150 miles says there was no action in the cockpit, neither he nor the captain had fallen comatose and the passengers were never in any danger.

But in an interview with The Associated Press two days after he and a colleague blew past their destination as air cartage controlled approved aimlessly to ability them, pilot Richard Cole would not say just what it was that led to them to forget to land Flight 188.

"It was not a austere event, from a assurance issue," Cole said in advanced of his Salem, Ore., home. "I would acquaint you more, but I've already told you way too much."

Air cartage controllers and pilots approved for added than an hour Wednesday night to acquaintance Cole and the flight's captain, Timothy B. Cheney, of Gig Harbor, Wash., using radio, cell phone and data messages. On the ground, concerned officials alerted National Guard jets to prepare to hunt the aeroplane from two locations, though none of the aggressive planes larboard the runway.

Cole would not discuss why it took so continued for the pilots to respond to radio calls, "but I can acquaint you that airplanes lose acquaintance with the arena people all the time. It happens. Sometimes they get together appropriate away; sometimes it takes awhile afore one or the added notices that they are not in contact."

A badge address appear Friday said the pilots passed breathalyzer tests and were atoning after the flight. The address additionally said that the crew indicated they had been having a heated altercation about airline policy.

But aerodynamics assurance experts and added pilots were acutely skeptical they could accept become so distracted by shop talk that they forgot to land an airplane a! ccustome d 144 passengers. The best likely possibility, they said, is that the pilots simply fell comatose somewhere along their avenue from San Diego.

"It certainly is a believable explanation," said Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Va.

Unfortunately, the cockpit articulation recorder may not acquaint the tale.

New recorders retain as abundant as two hours of cockpit chat and added noise, but the earlier archetypal aboard Northwest's Flight 188 includes just the last 30 minutes - alone the actual end of Wednesday night's flight after the pilots realized their error over Wisconsin and were heading back to Minneapolis.

Cheney and Cole accept been abeyant and are to be interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board investigators next week. The airline, acquired last year by Delta Air Lines, is additionally investigating. Messages larboard at Cheney's home were not returned.

FAA agent Tony Molinaro said in general, an unsafe action created by a pilot could lead to the suspension of the person's pilot authorization and possibly a civilian penalty.

With worries about terrorists still high, even after acquaintance was re-established, air cartage controllers asked the crew to prove who they were by executing turns.

"Controllers accept a acute faculty of vigilance back we're not able to talk to an aircraft. That's the reality post-9/11," said Doug Church, a agent for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

NTSB agent Keith Holloway said fatigue and cockpit distraction will be looked into. The plane's flight recorders were brought to the board's Washington headquarters.

The pilots were finally alerted to their situation back a flight attendant called on an intercom from the cabin.

Voss said a appropriate concern was t! hat the many assurance checks built into the aerodynamics system to anticipate incidents like this one - or to actual them quickly - allegedly were ineffective until the actual end. Not alone couldn't air cartage controllers and added pilots raise the Northwest pilots for an hour, but the airline's dispatcher should accept been trying to ability them as well. The three flight attendants onboard should accept questioned why there were no affairs for landing being made. Brightly lit cockpit displays should accept warned the pilots it was time to land.

"It's apparently article you would say never would happen if this hadn't just happened," Voss said.

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AP Airlines Writers Joshua Freed in Minneapolis and Harry R. Weber in Atlanta and AP Writers Joan Lowy in Washington, Amy Forliti in Minneapolis and Dave Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report. Cain reported from Salem, Ore.