Ethical Dilemma of Overshooting Airports - 2690 Words

Ethical Dilemma of Overshooting Airports Jason Miller Oklahoma State University - Tulsa AVED 3433-Aviation Ethics December 1, 2012 Dr. Jerry McMahan Ethical Dilemma of Overshooting Airports On October 21, 2009 Pilot Timothy Cheney and Co-pilot Richard Cole of Northwest Airlines flight 188 had overshot Minneapolis International Airport by 150 miles, which carried 147 passengers because the pilots had been busy using their laptops. The pilots had only received a slap on the wrists from the FAA; however their punishment should have been a bit harsher because the lives of everyone on that flight were put at risk because of irresponsible pilots. Ethical Dilemma of the Pilots The Flight Control tower at Minneapolis International†¦show more content†¦The Northwest Airlines pilots who were grounded after overflying the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles are trying to get their licenses back. National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said Thursday that Captain Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Washington, and First Officer Richard Cole of Salem, have filed appeals. The FAA revoked the licenses of the pilots last month. Cole and Cheney had 10 days to appeal to the three-member National Transportation Safety Board, the same agency that investigates air crashes and makes safety recommendations. If their appeal fails, they can apply for a new license after one year. The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilots had violated numerous regulations, including failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly. But the pilots said they had been so engrossed in a complicated new crew-scheduling program on their laptops -- a cockpit violation of airline policy that could cost them their licenses -- that they lost track of time and place for more than an hour, until a flight attendant on an intercom got their attention. By then, the Airbus A320 with its 144 passengers and five crew members had cruised on autopilot past its Minneapolis destination and was over Wisconsin, at 37,000 feet. It turned out the plane s radio was still tuned to a frequency used by Denver controllers, even though the aircraft had flown beyond