Link to news report
Profane NWA pilot
causes flight cancellation
Associated Press
ROMULUS, Mich. A Northwest Airlines flight was canceled because
the pilot was yelling obscenities during a cell phone conversation
while people were boarding, and cursed one passenger, a federal
official said Saturday.
The pilot of the Las Vegas-to-Detroit flight was apparently in a
heated cell phone conversation in the cockpit, then went into a
lavatory, locked the door and continued the conversation, Federal
Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said Saturday.
"Passengers who were boarding the aircraft could hear his end of
it," Gregor said.
Las Vegas police were sent Friday to McCarran International Airport
to investigate, Gregor said. Authorities were told that the pilot
cursed one passenger who confronted him, Gregor said.
There were 180 passengers and five crew on the flight to Detroit
Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Northwest Airlines Corp. said in a
statement.
The name of the captain, who Gregor described as a veteran pilot,
wasn't released.
Gregor said Northwest removed the pilot from the aircraft and
returned him to his home base in Detroit for an investigation. He
said it was up to Northwest to determine what would happen to the
pilot.
Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest issued an apology to passengers and
said the incident was under review.
Passengers were accommodated on other flights to their
destinations, the airline said. They also were given meals and
hotels during any additional time in Las Vegas.
The FAA plans to follow up with Northwest about the outburst,
Gregor said.
Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest issued an apology to passengers and
said the incident was under review.
Passengers were accommodated on other flights to their
destinations, the airline said. They also were given meals and
hotels during any additional time in Las Vegas.
The FAA plans to follow up with Northwest about the outburst,
Gregor said.
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Last night, I was having dinner with my friend Jim and his family.
Jim flies the 757 for NWA, and mentioned that, on one of his
flights a few days prior, his plane was about to push back from the
gate at McCarran International Airport, when he noticed that the
passengers of the 757 at the next gate, which was supposed to be
leaving at the same time, were deplaning. Turned out that the 757 next to his was the
flight mentioned in the report above! 
