The NTSB is examining the flight recorders from a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 (N03274) for clues as to why the flight lost radio contact with ATC with for 1 hr. 18 min and flew 150 mi. past its destination, Minneapolis-St. Paul.

At 5:56 pm (MDT) on Oct. 21, controllers lost radio communications with Flight 188 that had departed from San Diego. At 7:58 pm (CDT) the A320 bypassed Minneapolis-St. Paul and continued to fly to the Northeast at 37,000 ft. with 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew onboard.

Concerned controllers reestablished communications with the flight crew at 8:14 p.m . (CDT)

According to the NTSB, the pilots told controllers and authorities -- including the FAA, FBI and airport police--that a heated discussion over airline policy caused them to lose situational awareness and bypass the airport.

One of the most notable airport fly-bys occurred Feb. 13, 2008, when the pilots of Go! Flight 1002 simultaneously fell asleep halfway through a 51-min. flight to Hilo, Hawaii. For 18 min., the flight crew failed to respond to controllers and other aircraft in the vicinity while the aircraft continued past Hilo toward open ocean at 21,000 ft. with 40 passengers onboard. Investigators had determined that crew fatigue was a factor in the Go! incident. In addition, the NTSB noted that the flight would have faced fuel starvation and proceeded for only 22.5 min. longer had reserve fuel not been onboard.

The Northwest flight recorders promise to yield solid clues as to what happened onboard Flight 188. The NTSB will release more details about the incident as its investigation continues.

Image credit: Northwest