After a Northwest Airlines plane flew past Minneapolis last month, air traffic controllers asked the pilots repeatedly for explanations about why they didn't heed radio calls, according to transcripts released Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Oct. 21 flight had been out of contact for 77 minutes before the pilots responded. After almost 90 seconds of conversation about the route they should take, the controllers said, "I just have to verify that the cockpit is secure."

"It is secure; we got distracted," one of the pilots responds. The pilot then said that they had never heard a call from the ground.

A different controller took over and, after five more minutes of directions, asked, "Do you have time to give a brief explanation on what happened?"

"Cockpit distractions; that's all I can say," was the response from Northwest Flight 188.

About 12 minutes after contact had been re-established, the same controller asked, "is there any way you can elaborate on the distraction?" The pilot said that they were dealing with some company issues, and that's "all I can tell you right now at this time."


The pilots have told the National Transportation Safety Board that they were discussing their company's complicated new crew-scheduling program over their laptops. The FAA has revoked the licenses of the pilots, Timothy Cheney and Richard Cole.