WASHINGTON: US AVIATION officials and the FBI probed Friday how pilots of an airplane with 149 people on board managed to overshoot their destination by 240km, prompting fears of a hijacking.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said controllers lost radio contact late on Wednesday with the Northwest Airlines flight heading from San Diego, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spokesman in Minneapolis confirmed to AFP that the agency had launched its own investigation into the incident, but declined to comment further.
Passengers reported being unaware of any mishap until police boarded the plane when it eventually landed at Minneapolis Airport more than an hour behind schedule.
'The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness,' the safety board said, although a source close to the investigation said the crew had not yet been independently interviewed.
The plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are being sent to Washington for analysis. Northwest Airlines reportedly suspended the pilots from flying as the probe got under way. -- AFP
The US National Transportation Safety Board said controllers lost radio contact late on Wednesday with the Northwest Airlines flight heading from San Diego, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spokesman in Minneapolis confirmed to AFP that the agency had launched its own investigation into the incident, but declined to comment further.
Passengers reported being unaware of any mishap until police boarded the plane when it eventually landed at Minneapolis Airport more than an hour behind schedule.
'The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness,' the safety board said, although a source close to the investigation said the crew had not yet been independently interviewed.
The plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are being sent to Washington for analysis. Northwest Airlines reportedly suspended the pilots from flying as the probe got under way. -- AFP
