Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Cockpit Confidential or What Happened On Flight 188
WASHINGTON DC - A new twist in the puzzling case of a Northwest Airline flight overshooting its destination by 150 miles has come to light in testimony by a flight attendant in the FAA investigation. According to Melanie Lane who was in charge of servicing the first class cabin, both pilots may have been distracted by a mélange a trois in the cockpit.
Ms. Lane admitted she jokingly said “coffee, tea, or me” when she knocked on the cockpit door and was surprised to learn that neither pilot was interested in artificial stimulants. “They opened the door, invited me in, and asked if I would like to sit in the captain’s seat in the buff,” she said. “They offered to let me wear the captain’s cap. So I just threw my inhibitions to the wind and stripped,” admitted the blond and shapely flight attendant.
The testimony of the pilots, Captain Timothy Cheney and First Officer Richard Cole, claiming they were distracted while working on their laptops, was not entirely false, according to Ms. Lane. “They just didn’t mean computers. You need to do everything on laptops in such a small space,” she said.
Ms. Lane revealed that the cockpit radio was tuned to a R&B station, explaining why ground control was unable to communicate with the aircraft for 91 minutes. “Between the hot music, plane vibrations, and two guys on auto-pilot, we could have been in a rocket ship headed for the moon,” she said. “Although flying in outer space was only a fantasy, how many women can say they did it at 37,000 feet?”
First Officer Cole reportedly said that studying the varied use of cockpit space by three adults would come in handy when he went for his Captain’s license. “He took all kinds of measurement of our positions,” Ms. Lane told FAA investigators. “He said the airlines were always looking for ways to make cockpits more user friendly.”
The Northwest Airline flight 188 originating from San Diego had already passed its Minneapolis destination and was over Wisconsin when one of Ms. Lane’s coworkers called the cockpit to find out what was going on. “I answered the phone and told her I was giving the guys a hand,” she recalled, explaining that she was helping the pilots stay awake.
“I was so flustered when I emerged from the cockpit that I thanked the passengers over the P.A. for flying United instead of Northwest. I certainly felt I was flying the ‘friendly skies’ on that leg of the trip,” admitted Ms. Lane. “And I whispered to Captain Tim as we were deplaning that I shared the same slogan as our parent company Delta – Melanie is ready when you are!”
Neither the pilots nor the FAA would comment on Ms. Lane’s testimony. However, a spokesman for the Airline Pilot’s Association said cockpit quickies were not uncommon but 91 minutes may have set a record.
Ms. Lane admitted she jokingly said “coffee, tea, or me” when she knocked on the cockpit door and was surprised to learn that neither pilot was interested in artificial stimulants. “They opened the door, invited me in, and asked if I would like to sit in the captain’s seat in the buff,” she said. “They offered to let me wear the captain’s cap. So I just threw my inhibitions to the wind and stripped,” admitted the blond and shapely flight attendant.
The testimony of the pilots, Captain Timothy Cheney and First Officer Richard Cole, claiming they were distracted while working on their laptops, was not entirely false, according to Ms. Lane. “They just didn’t mean computers. You need to do everything on laptops in such a small space,” she said.
Ms. Lane revealed that the cockpit radio was tuned to a R&B station, explaining why ground control was unable to communicate with the aircraft for 91 minutes. “Between the hot music, plane vibrations, and two guys on auto-pilot, we could have been in a rocket ship headed for the moon,” she said. “Although flying in outer space was only a fantasy, how many women can say they did it at 37,000 feet?”
First Officer Cole reportedly said that studying the varied use of cockpit space by three adults would come in handy when he went for his Captain’s license. “He took all kinds of measurement of our positions,” Ms. Lane told FAA investigators. “He said the airlines were always looking for ways to make cockpits more user friendly.”
The Northwest Airline flight 188 originating from San Diego had already passed its Minneapolis destination and was over Wisconsin when one of Ms. Lane’s coworkers called the cockpit to find out what was going on. “I answered the phone and told her I was giving the guys a hand,” she recalled, explaining that she was helping the pilots stay awake.
“I was so flustered when I emerged from the cockpit that I thanked the passengers over the P.A. for flying United instead of Northwest. I certainly felt I was flying the ‘friendly skies’ on that leg of the trip,” admitted Ms. Lane. “And I whispered to Captain Tim as we were deplaning that I shared the same slogan as our parent company Delta – Melanie is ready when you are!”
Neither the pilots nor the FAA would comment on Ms. Lane’s testimony. However, a spokesman for the Airline Pilot’s Association said cockpit quickies were not uncommon but 91 minutes may have set a record.
