So - think there's any way these pilots are NOT getting fired?

[guitarist]

They might get promoted!

[Carnos Jax]

Guessing the plane was traveling at a ground speed of 500 miles, and that the descent was supposed to begin about 150 miles out (thereby meaning they travelled 300 miles past the 'exit'), time elapsed would've been 36 minutes. Though rare, to me its plausible enough that I wouldn't probably question the "heated discussion" story.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

h linamen wrote:
i can believe they were distracted by a heated discussion for 10 - 15 minutes. Once on a business trip I and another colleague were so engrossed in our "business disagreement", we overshot our exit and went another 30 miles before we became aware. Did we feel foolish!

But did you have over 100 people in the back seat?

[Carnos Jax]

Sure, the ramifications are greater. But out of the hundreds to thousands of flights every day, 300 plus days a year, for dozens of years...statistically something like this is bound to happen.

[Black]

Won't you guys feel foolish when it turns out the pilot was Sully . . .

[JoeH]

N-OS X-tasy! wrote:
[quote=h linamen]
i can believe they were distracted by a heated discussion for 10 - 15 minutes. Once on a business trip I and another colleague were so engrossed in our "business disagreement", we overshot our exit and went another 30 miles before we became aware. Did we feel foolish!

But did you have over 100 people in the back seat?
Difference is that in a car you have "back-seat drivers" who will let you know you missed the exit, or any other mistake you make. Not easy for the 100 people in the back on an airplane to be "back-seat drivers".

[RAMd®d]

It wasn't Sully.

He was at a book signing.


Though rare, to me its plausible enough that I wouldn't probably question the "heated discussion" story.

I certainly would, and do. The discussion was sooooo heated that they missed the radio transmissions and calls to the cellphones?

And while the facts may not be all in (and we may never know any more than we do), my money is on falling asleep.

Even if they were having *really* great sex, and I assume it would be with a flight attended or another pilot who might be along for the ride, I don't see *somebody* not watching the clock and missing their "stoop",

Cabin access is BS, unless it's limited to a Sky Marshall, and there aren't all that many of those. How about a klaxon in the cabin that can be triggered by a tower. A series of warning tones would preceded it, giving the crew time to abort the klaxon blast if they're awake/conscious.

Or maybe give the tower access to the plane's PA system:

"This is the tower speaking. Your plane has overshot the airport and the pilots are not responding to their radio or cellphones. Could somebody go and knock on the cabin door and tell them they've missed their exit and to wipe it off 'cause they've got a plane to land?

We'd appreciated it, really."

And if there is no answer, you have our permission to panic.

[Carnos Jax]

>I certainly would, and do. The discussion was sooooo heated that they missed the radio transmissions and calls to the cellphones?

Didn't know about the attempts to call their cell phones. But I don't think that normal cell phones operate at that altitude? Also, the radio transmissions are always there from what I understand (meaning that radio calls to other aircraft are heard in the cockpit, the pilots only respond when they're addressed by their flight's radio call sign). So the pilots may have relegated the radio chatter to background noise. I'm not sure on all this though, perhaps someone more knowledgeable may chime in.

[space-time]

my bet is on sleep, but sex is a second close possibility.
do we know if the pilots were both of the same gender or of opposite gender?

[Gutenberg]

I believe this is the very definition of "asleep at the stick."

Why do these weirdos always fly for Northwest?