Pilots who landed at wrong airport

Pilots who landed at wrong airport suspended from flying

EAGAN, Minnesota (AP) - Two pilots at the controls of a Northwest Airlines flight when it landed at the wrong airport have been suspended from flying pending an investigation, an airline spokesman said.

Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said Monday that the two pilots "have been held from service'' until the review is complete. No other details were released.

The flight carrying 117 passengers to Rapid City, South Dakota, veered off course Saturday and landed at nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The plane remained on the ground for more than three hours as the pilots told Air Force security officers what went wrong, and a new crew was dispatched to continue the flight to Rapid City.

Air Force Lt. Christine Millette said the pilots reported that they were in contact with Rapid City controllers on their approach when they descended into a cloud. When the plane came out of the cloud, the first runway the pilots saw was the one at Ellsworth.

Millette said the two runways are about 7 miles (11 kilometers) apart and parallel to one another.-AP

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