Pilots of wayward NW Airlines plane now blame controllers

The Northwest Airlines pilots who flew their jet past their destination city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 21 have blamed air traffic controllers for the snafu.

Capt. Timothy B. Cheney and First Officer Richard I. Cole are claiming air traffic control rules weren't followed, which contributed to the incident.

Photo shows First Officer Richard Cole talking to a reporter at his home in Salem, Oregon after the incident.

"The air traffic controller(s) did not comply with the requirements of the air traffic control manual and other relevant orders, rules, procedures, policies and practices with respect to Northwest Flight 188, nor coordinate effectively with Northwest dispatch, and such failure was a causal or contributing factor in the incident," they said. The responses were filed November 24, but made public Monday.

The pilots are appealing the revocation of their licenses by the FAA.

The National Transportation Safety Board has reported that the pilots told investigators they used personal laptop computers during the flight, in violation of company policy, and lost track of time.

Now, several weeks later the air traffic
controller accusation surfaces.

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