As a frequent flyer, I’m a little disturbed by the latest report on the news. It seems that there is a possibility that two Northwest pilots fell asleep in the cockpit. I’m not naive, I know that pilots will catch a nap from time-to-time but it’s usually not both pilots napping at the same time!
The plane was on autopilot so there was not any particular jeopardy as far as that goes – they would reach their destination, and in fact, it was a rather boring, straight path that the crew would have needed to follow. Well, follow they did – right past the destination. 150 miles past the destination!
In all fairness, it has not been proven that they were asleep. Instead, the pilots are saying that they were in a heated debate over airline policy. This makes some sense seeing as how Northwest is merging with Delta. But what doesn’t make sense is to overshoot your destination by that far.
This line of thinking brings me to my ultimate point and it is this – please pay attention! I’m talking to airline pilots, passenger vehicle drivers, motorcyclists – everybody on the road or in the sky! Pay attention. We are far too distracted and our distractions could be detrimental, not only to us but to others.
It does not matter to me whether they were asleep - albeit very disturbing – or even if they were bickering – again, very disturbing - what matters more to me is that they were not paying attention. It was an accident waiting to happen.
These two pilots are grounded pending further review. Good call. 150 miles?!! Seriously! So, we don’t have to worry about them. But we still need to be accountable for our own actions. So, when you jump into your vehicle today, be alert and be mindful of those that share the road with you. I know it sounds like a PSA but I’m just saying…
The plane was on autopilot so there was not any particular jeopardy as far as that goes – they would reach their destination, and in fact, it was a rather boring, straight path that the crew would have needed to follow. Well, follow they did – right past the destination. 150 miles past the destination!
In all fairness, it has not been proven that they were asleep. Instead, the pilots are saying that they were in a heated debate over airline policy. This makes some sense seeing as how Northwest is merging with Delta. But what doesn’t make sense is to overshoot your destination by that far.
This line of thinking brings me to my ultimate point and it is this – please pay attention! I’m talking to airline pilots, passenger vehicle drivers, motorcyclists – everybody on the road or in the sky! Pay attention. We are far too distracted and our distractions could be detrimental, not only to us but to others.
It does not matter to me whether they were asleep - albeit very disturbing – or even if they were bickering – again, very disturbing - what matters more to me is that they were not paying attention. It was an accident waiting to happen.
These two pilots are grounded pending further review. Good call. 150 miles?!! Seriously! So, we don’t have to worry about them. But we still need to be accountable for our own actions. So, when you jump into your vehicle today, be alert and be mindful of those that share the road with you. I know it sounds like a PSA but I’m just saying…
Have a great weekend!
Post a Comment