Napping on Northwest Airlines
Federal officials say they’re investigating whether pilot fatigue was a factor in an incident where a Northwest Airlines jet overshot its planned destination (the Minneapolis airport) by 150 miles. The plane, with 147 people aboard, landed safely yesterday evening after crew members discovered their mistake. Officials say the plane lost radio contact with controllers for about 45 minutes. The cockpit crew claim they were distracted during a discussion in the cockpit. Captain Jeffrey Skiles, a pilot for U.S. Airways who was the co-pilot with Captain Chesley Sullenberger the day they landed a plane on the Hudson River, joins us to discuss what potentially went wrong here. Skiles is also vice-president of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association, which represents professional pilots.
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