Just posted in the Minneapolis paper:
---------------------------------------------------------
[ QUOTE ]
NWA pilots fired for landing at wrong airport
Liz Fedor, Star Tribune
September 9, 2004 NWA0909
Two Northwest Airlines pilots have been fired for landing at the wrong South Dakota airport in June, but the pilots union said Wednesday that it is fighting to get those jobs restored.
The pilots landed an Airbus A319 at Ellsworth Air Force Base when they were supposed to touch down at Rapid City Regional Airport, about seven miles away.
The Twin Cities-Rapid City flight had 117 passengers on board when the pilots erred. The incident prompted investigations by Northwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The airline fired the pilots on July 23, and pilot grievances were filed against the airline on Aug. 20, said Will Holman, spokesman for the Northwest branch of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
"The pilots made a mistake, but we believe the punishment is excessive," Holman said Wednesday. "They do have many years of service for Northwest along with good work records."
A hearing for the two unidentified pilots will be held this fall.
About two years ago, an ALPA grievance was successful in overturning the firing of a Northwest pilot, Holman said. But he declined to provide details of that case.
A union attorney will represent the Northwest pilots in the grievance proceeding.
An airline spokeswoman declined to confirm the pilot terminations, because she said the company does not comment on "individual personnel matters."
The federal government is still investigating the June 19 flight, said Elizabeth Isham Cory, a spokeswoman for the FAA.
Cory did not estimate when a report might be issued. If the FAA finds regulatory violations, she said the agency could choose from a range of disciplinary actions against the pilots, such as a suspension or a fine.
In addition to assessing the performance of the pilots, Cory said the FAA is studying tapes of communications with the air traffic controllers, reviewing radar data, and examining compliance with a host of flight operation and training regulations.
"There is a lot of material that we review in terms of regulatory violations," she said. "They take as long as they need to do a thorough job."
ALPA's Holman said that Northwest has updated a Rapid City chart that pilots use to understand the airport layout and approaches. The new version clearly spells out the proximity of Ellsworth to the Rapid City airport, he said.
"It does show that they have similar runway alignments," Holman said.
Liz Fedor is at
lfedor@startribune.com.
[/ QUOTE ]
---------------------------------------------------------
[ QUOTE ]
NWA pilots fired for landing at wrong airport
Liz Fedor, Star Tribune
September 9, 2004 NWA0909
Two Northwest Airlines pilots have been fired for landing at the wrong South Dakota airport in June, but the pilots union said Wednesday that it is fighting to get those jobs restored.
The pilots landed an Airbus A319 at Ellsworth Air Force Base when they were supposed to touch down at Rapid City Regional Airport, about seven miles away.
The Twin Cities-Rapid City flight had 117 passengers on board when the pilots erred. The incident prompted investigations by Northwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The airline fired the pilots on July 23, and pilot grievances were filed against the airline on Aug. 20, said Will Holman, spokesman for the Northwest branch of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
"The pilots made a mistake, but we believe the punishment is excessive," Holman said Wednesday. "They do have many years of service for Northwest along with good work records."
A hearing for the two unidentified pilots will be held this fall.
About two years ago, an ALPA grievance was successful in overturning the firing of a Northwest pilot, Holman said. But he declined to provide details of that case.
A union attorney will represent the Northwest pilots in the grievance proceeding.
An airline spokeswoman declined to confirm the pilot terminations, because she said the company does not comment on "individual personnel matters."
The federal government is still investigating the June 19 flight, said Elizabeth Isham Cory, a spokeswoman for the FAA.
Cory did not estimate when a report might be issued. If the FAA finds regulatory violations, she said the agency could choose from a range of disciplinary actions against the pilots, such as a suspension or a fine.
In addition to assessing the performance of the pilots, Cory said the FAA is studying tapes of communications with the air traffic controllers, reviewing radar data, and examining compliance with a host of flight operation and training regulations.
"There is a lot of material that we review in terms of regulatory violations," she said. "They take as long as they need to do a thorough job."
ALPA's Holman said that Northwest has updated a Rapid City chart that pilots use to understand the airport layout and approaches. The new version clearly spells out the proximity of Ellsworth to the Rapid City airport, he said.
"It does show that they have similar runway alignments," Holman said.
Liz Fedor is at
lfedor@startribune.com.
[/ QUOTE ]
