Pilots 'face same distractions as drivers'

"I have my own ideas about this, but I'm going to work with the folks at the FAA and our department to deal with this issue," LaHood said. "We're going to take a very close look at that entire issue."

The Obama administration and lawmakers have already expressed interest in targeting distracted driving, including the use of mobile devices while behind the wheel. LaHood held a summit meeting in September that brought together researchers, regulators and other experts on distracted driving.

WASHINGTON - The two airline pilots who overshot their destination by 150 miles have prompted the Obama administration to broaden its look at distracted driving to include distracted flying, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today.



The use of mobile devices and laptops while driving any type of vehicle is unsafe, LaHood told a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

"We're not going to equivocate on this. Any kind of distraction, whether it's trains, planes or automobiles is a distraction and we should figure out ways to get these cell phones, the texting, ... and the use of laptops out of the hands of people who are supposed to be delivering the public to somewhere safely," LaHood said.

The pilots of Northwest Airlines Flight 188 told safety investigators they lost track of time and place while using their laptops to work out crew schedules. They said they were out of communications with air traffic controllers and their company's dispatchers for 91 minutes while cruising in their Airbus 320 at 37,000 feet, unaware that they had flown past their destination of Minneapolis in the upper Mideast until a flight attendant called them on an intercom.
The incident "raises serious safety concerns," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the committee.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat, noted that the Federal Aviation Administration does not prohibit the use of laptop computers above 10,000 feet and asked whether the Transportation Department might regulate the use of laptops by pilots.
A group of senators proposed legislation that would offer incentive grants to states that approve laws to combat distracted driving.

"Texting takes your eyes off the road - long enough at high speeds to travel the length of a football field," Rockefeller said.

The FAA said that it had revoked the licenses of the Northwest pilots - Timothy Cheney, the captain, and Richard Cole, the first officer. Phone messages left at the homes of the pilots were not returned.

The pilots have 10 days to appeal the revocation to the three-member National Transportation Safety Board, the same agency that investigates air crashes and makes safety recommendations. If an appeal fails, they can apply for a new license after one year.