Oct. 27, 2009 (United Press International) -- The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it has revoked the licenses of two U.S. pilots who overshot their destination on a Northwest Airlines flight.
The FAA announcement said Capt. Timothy B. Cheney, 53, and First Officer Richard I. Cole, 54, have 10 days to appeal the decision, The New York Times reported.
Cheney and Cole told investigators they had been discussing a new crew scheduling procedure being implemented by the airline, and Cole was using his laptop to show Cheney how to use new software, when they piloted Flight 188 more than 100 miles past its destination, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, on Oct. 21, the newspaper reported.
Cheney, of Gig Harbor, Wash., has been with Northwest since 1985 and has 20,000 hours of experience. Cole, of Salem, Ore., was hired in 1997 and has 11,000 hours of experience.
The FAA said the licenses were being revoked on an "emergency" basis and cited the pilots' "failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly,"
The plane landed safely and police boarded the Airbus A-320 to determine whether the flight had been hijacked. Cheney and Cole passed breath-analysis checks for possible alcohol use.
Delta -- which owns Northwest -- issued a statement Monday noting that the pilots' laptop use violated company policy and said "violations of that policy will result in termination." The airline has suspended Cheney and Cole.
