The wavey effect seen in this picture is caused by cirrus clouds being twisted by upper-level wind movements. It appeared above Raghly in County Sligo on 17th October and was photographed by Richard O'Beirne.
The wet and cloud weather over Louth in Lincolnshire abruptly cleared to leave this spectacular double rainbow on 24th October. Picture taken by Judy Harris.
The undulating effect of the stratocumulus clouds seemed to mirror the ripples in the water below. Charlie David took this picture in the Llyn Peninsula on 14th October.
The view of the first Severn bridge was obscured by the early-morning mist covering the Severn Estuary on 13th October. Photographed by Amanda Doyle.
The cumulonimbus clouds in the distance took on the shape of a wave. Alistair Mackay took this picture in Balintore on the afternoon of 24th October.
Despite the threatening appearance of this large cumulus cloud over Whittlesford in Cambridgeshire, there were only a few drops of rain before it cleared away. Image captured by Donald Richardson on 24th October.
《萬千星輝論人權》(Stories on Human Rights) 故事 : 世界人權宣言六十大壽,聯合國人權理事會於此送上一份別出心裁的禮物:二十二位世界各地的導演、藝術家應邀執導三分鐘,分別圍繞人權宣言的六個主題:文化、發展、尊嚴與公義、環境、性別,和參與。本片早於十五個不同國家巡迴放映,星光熠熠,當然少不了亞洲區代表:泰國Apichatpong Weerasethakul帶領我們馳騁公路;巴勒斯坦Hany Abu-Assad透過兒童的眼睛看監控鏡頭的荒謬;印度Murali Nair藉少女重生載歌載舞;中國賈樟柯審視環境的疫症……多不勝數,你只能親自來看個究竟!此片配樂家Michael Galasso (曾為《重慶森林》和《花樣年華》配樂) 已於零九年九月不幸病逝,特此紀念。
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights initiated the production of a long-feature film composed by a series of 3min shorts, and thus 22 world-known filmmakers and video artists are invited to work on one cross-cutting theme representing the UDHR: Culture, Development, Dignity and Justice, Environment, Gender and Participation. Asian participants include Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Syndromes and a Century), Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now), Saman Salour (Lonely Tune of Tehran), Murali Nair (Unni, Another Story of an Indian Child) and Jia Zhang-Ke (24 City). With Michael Galasso (film scores include In the Mood of Love and Chungking Express), the recently passed-away musician as the score composer.
導演 Marina Abramovic, Hany Abu-Assad, Armagan Ballantyne, Sergei Bodrov, Charles de Meaux, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster & Ange Leccia, Runa Islam, Francesco Jodice, Etgar Keret & Shira Geffen, Zhang-Ke Jia, Murali Nair, Idrissa Ouedraogo, Pipilotti Rist, Daniela Thomas, Saman Salour, Sarkis, Bram Schouw, Teresa Serrano, Abderrahmane Sissako, Pablo Trapero, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jasmila Zbanic
演員 --
類別 --
片長 80
級別 IIB
語言 多國語言,英文字幕 (various languages with English subtitles )
《Hush! 及 寒冬三日》 (Hush! & Three Days in Winter) 故事 :
《Hush!》 : 希魔屠殺猶太人的事跡大家耳熟能詳,但其實二戰時的惡耗在一戰時已上演過。一九一五年奧圖曼帝國對阿美尼亞發起種族清洗,洗出一片血海,是東歐歴史裡的耀眼傷口。土耳其導演Berke Bas一次回到家鄉東北部的Ordu小鎮,方知她的大祖母原藉阿美尼亞。由是一段痛苦得難以啟齒的往事再被憶起、重新予以思考與哀悼。導演透過訪問家庭成員和當年僅有的倖存者,為這段行將消失的創痛作證。
Hush! : Visiting her hometown Ordu in Northeastern Turkey, Turkish filmmaker Berke Bas discovers her great-grandmother's Armenian origins and the tragic unspoken past of a once cosmopolitan city. Through conversations with family members and the few surviving Armenians the film tries to restore a memory that is on the verge of being lost.
《寒冬三日》 : 隆冬時節雪紛紛,記憶也一如置放在冷藏庫之中歷久常新。導演Arlette雙親曾是亂世兒女,爸爸是進駐印度支那和摩洛哥的法國士兵,只是他手持刀劍之餘,還手執導筒,在當兵的同時,也用深深的熱情把當年的點點滴滴拍攝下來。導演凝視著父親留下的沉默影像,渴望為它加上自己的聲音。戰爭為人所道,每個人都有自己的版本和詮釋,她的聲音不但在回應歴史,也在重構自己的記憶......
《Three Days in Winter》 : It is winter. Snow is falling in the Jura region. At home, director Arlette Girardot and her mother watch home videos captured by her father, who was an officer during the years preceding the Independence of Algeria and Morocco. Alongside his military career is his passion for images, and it is what a man left behind that recalls the taboos of history and also one’s own family stories.
導演: Hush! :Berke Bas / 寒冬三日 : Arlette Girardot
演員 --
類別 --
片長 104
級別
語言:
Hush! :土耳其語、英語對白,英文字幕
Hush! : Turkish and English with English subtitles
Three Days in Winter : French with English subtitles
寒冬三日: 法語對白,英文字幕
《 Michael Jackson's This Is It》 故事 : 《Michael Jackson’s This Is It》將會讓全球樂迷一睹流行樂天王米高積遜籌備及綵排This Is It演唱會時的珍貴片段。米高積遜叱吒樂壇四十多年,今年3月,他宣佈復出舉行五十場環球演唱會This Is It,令全球樂迷熱切期待,但可惜他未能完成「最後演唱」,便於本年6月25日猝逝。 在米高積遜離世後四個月,全球樂迷將有機會親歷他的最後演唱會,在戲院大銀幕一睹這位一代巨星的最後風采。《Michael Jackson’s This Is It》電影剪輯自米高積遜在本年4月至6月期間,籌備This Is It演唱會時以高清制式拍攝的逾百小時綵排片段及幕後花絮,讓觀眾有如近距離接觸米高積遜,見證這位舞台天王如何力求盡善盡美地締造他的最後演出,電影亦加插米高積遜生前好友及工作伙伴的訪問片段,回顧米高積遜傳奇的星路歷程。本片由Sony Pictures Releasing於全球發行,全球放映只限兩週,香港上映日期為10月29日,戲票會於9月27日開始預售。
Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audience will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson up close and personal. In row and candid detail, Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson’s creative partner and the director of the stage show is also directing the film, which is being produced by Randy Philips, Kenny Ortega and Paul Gongaware. Executive producers are John Branca and John McClain. The film will be distributed worldwide by ony Pictures Releasing Tickets for the limited two-week engagement of the film go on sale beginning September 27.
導演 奧爾特加 Kenny Ortega
演員 米高積遜 Michael Jackson
類別 紀錄片 Documentary
片長 111
級別
語言 英語對白 English
《眾生》 (Red White) 故事 :突如其來的災難過後,面對所有的失去和殘留,人該何去何從?本片由這個問題出發,在四川大地震發生後半年,紀錄了重災區什邡市紅白鎮與及周邊地區的幾個普通人物、家庭的災後生活和精神狀態。失去孩子的父母、失去媽媽的幼童,還有失去一條腿的男孩……種種消逝和彌留,都足以讓人生蒙上不可承受之痛。或許,人們只能在道觀的斷壁殘垣下、在各種宗教儀式裏、甚至在新生和遺忘中,才能找到生存的信仰和力量?
How could people deal with all their loss and remains after the most unimaginable catastrophe? Based on this question, director Zhong Chen records the continuing lives in Red White, a small rural town that was seriously devastated by the 5.12 Earthquake. Whether for broken families, or people with a broken limb, memories of the past haunt the post-quake present with all the same painfulness. As a Taoism priest help the local people to deal with their various difficulties, would religion prove as the way out in such an extreme situation?
導演 陳心中 Zhong Chen
演員 -- / 類別 --
片長 95
級別
語言 普通話對白,中英文字幕 Putonghua with Chinese and English subtitles
《下一站,伊朗》 (My Iranian Paradise) 故事 : 導演Annette是丹麥與波蘭混血兒,伊人卻在伊朗長大,藉著拍攝此紀錄片回到德黑蘭 ── 她的童年天堂。箇中有還鄉之喜,也有事物全非之愁;以童年無忌的視野出發,注入女性角度的體會;二戰烽煙的回憶,混雜七九年伊朗革命的群情洶湧。影片由訴說個人家庭歴史開始,講述小人物在歴史巨輪下的身不由己與流離失所,延伸探討個體在社會大環境中的角色與價值。今天伊朗局勢與世界政壇息息相關,箇中你又知道多少?入場觀賞這七十八分鐘,導演為你送上一個伊朗萬花筒。原來這個地方,曾經是天堂
Back then, in her youthful years, Tehran of Iran used to be a paradise for director Annette. But having witnessed the country's change into a pillar in the infamous 'Axis of Evil', she travels back on a journey regarding the past and the present. Combining current footage of today's inaccessible country together with historical footage rare to be seen, My Iranian Paradise starts from a personal, female perspective, yet develops into a full illustration of the Iranians’ living condition in the shade of politics and in the light of history. It is Iran. It was a paradise once.
導演 Annette Mari Olsen, Katia Forbert Petersen
演員 -- / 類別 --
片長 78 級別 I
語言 丹麥語、波斯語對白,英文字幕 Danish and Persian with English subtitles
《慢性中毒》 (Dead Slowly) 故事
數宗似是而非的案件,串起一段段疑幻似真的關係。車禍中眉的丈夫失去雙腳,而妹妹凝竟與丈夫有染;眉又涉嫌一宗食物中毒案,與警員政展開撲朔迷離的關係,且同時糾結於八年前的夢魘當中;政的妻清個人身份模糊,從來只是別人的妻、別人的媽、別人的情婦…電影始於敘事,漸漸天馬行空,變成一場影象盛宴。閱讀的可能性因而不斷擴大,一發不可收拾,兔子、女屍、血樹,種種符號,任憑詮釋。錄像藝術家許雅舒首部劇情長片技驚四座,每場影像均如定格圖畫,對白甚具黃碧雲文字韻味,難怪成為本年度角逐釜山國際電影節New Currents Award的唯一一套香港電影。
It takes only fragments of crime to line up various characters and relationships. Mei’s husband lost his legs in a car accident. Ying, Mei’s sister, is having an affair with Mei’s husband. A policeman, Jing, is investigating a food poisoning case involving Mei as the main suspect, and the case reminds Jing his guilt 8 years ago. Ching, wife of Jing, has only vague identities: someone’s wife, someone’s mother, and someone’s mistress… And what if narration further disintegrates into symbolic encounters of relationships? Having worked as a media artist over a decade, director Rita Hui presents this visual feast for all who dares to stare. Dead Slowly, the only Hong Kong film that competes for the New Currents Award in Pusan International Film Festival this year.
導演 許雅舒 Rita Hui
演員 蔣祖曼, 高少敏, 鄭湘玲, 彭敬慈 (Joman Chiang, Siu Man Ko, Sheung Ling Cheng, Samuel Pang)
類別 -- / 片長 87
級別 iii
語言 粵語對白,中英文字幕 (Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles )
《大鑊密探》(The Informant ) 故事 : 荷里活大導演史提芬蘇德堡、金像獎影星麥迪文攜手打造商界告密英雄故事。在農業大公司ADM工作的明日之星馬克偉達利(麥迪文 飾演)一天突然變身成告密者,他到底在想甚麼?他打算向美國聯邦密探FBI告發公司國際性操控價格的不良營商手法,希望因此成為人民英雄。為了搜集足夠證據,偉達利不惜在身上裝上竊聽系統,在公事包內暗藏錄音機,想像自己成為真真正正的臥底密探。 可惜,偉達利所提供的線索似乎不太可靠,有時他的說話更是撲朔迷離。FBI探員對他經常轉變、次次新鮮的證供感到非常沮喪,有時候根本分不清到底哪些是真確的事實,哪些是偉達利憑空想像的產物。
What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre (Matt Damon) suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion. But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn’t been quite so forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers. Whitacre’s ever-changing account frustrates the agents (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) and threatens the case against ADM as it becomes almost impossible to decipher what is real and what is the product of Whitacre’s active imagination.
導演 史提芬蘇德堡 Steven Soderbergh
演員 麥迪文,史葛比高拉,祖爾麥希爾 Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel Mchale
類別 劇情 Drama
片長 109 級別 IIB
語言 英語對白(中文字幕)
《尋找簡東拿》 (Looking for Eric) 故事:艾力是個迷失人生方向的郵差,生活諸事不順 – 離婚、再婚、繼子頑劣,連花園的混水泥機都不聽話!而且還對30多年前的前妻Lily念念不忘!雖然他的一班球迷好兄弟不斷出手相助,但卻越幫越忙,艾力亦繼續迷失自我。 此時,艾力的人生忽然出現了另一個艾力:鼎鼎大名的曼聯傳奇球星、「奧脫福大帝」- 艾力.簡東拿。簡東拿帶艾力回到過去,一個最危險的國度,好讓他尋找出路。正所謂事事畏首畏尾,難免一事無成。不肯冒險,坐以待斃又怎麼行?
Eric the postman is slipping through his own fingers… His chaotic family, his wild stepsons and the cement mixer in the front garden don’t help, but it is Eric’s own secret that drives him to the brink. Can he face Lily,the woman he once loved 30 years ago? Despite outrageous efforts and misplaced goodwill from his football fan mates, Eric continues to sink. In desperate times it takes a spliff and a special friend from foreign parts to challenge a lost postman to make that journey into the most perilous territory of all – the past. As the Chinese, and one Frenchman, say :“He who is afraid to throw the dice will never throw a six.”
導演 堅盧治 Ken Loach
演員 簡東拿,史提夫艾域斯 Eric Cantona,Steve Evets
類別 喜劇 片長 116 級別 IIB
語言 英語對白(中文字幕) English (Chinese Subtitles)
《 硬漢 》(The Underdog Knight ) (IIB)
92 分鐘
導演: 丁晟 Sheng Ding
演員: 劉燁, 黃秋生 Liu Ye, Anthony Wong
普通話對白,中英文字幕 Putonghua with English and Chinese subtitles
10月29日上映 他是老三。他的智商並不高。他每天在苦練著功夫,隨時準備去打擊壞人。老三曾是一名潛艇兵,他喜歡水,嚮往純凈的世界,他一直保持著軍人特有的強健體魄和正義感。他留著鍋蓋頭,斜挎迷彩水壺,手提紅纓槍,穿梭于城市之間,怪異而神秘。只有不遵紀守法的騙子、兇徒才有機會和他正面碰撞!貪圖他的力量的後果總是很悲慘的,而老三,正是要在這個過程中找到將邪惡征服的快樂。老三的偶像是宋朝的岳飛,得知偶像所使用的“瀝泉槍”來市展示,老三雀躍前往,殊不知與此同時,國際級的大盜早已盯上了這件國寶。當正義與罪惡正面相撞,火花四濺;真實與謊言彼此交織,難以分辨,懵懂的老三不得不作出一個在他而言,非常艱難的判斷。其實一切也許很簡單,因為他堅信這塵世間有一種力量,是為了消滅邪惡而存在的,那就是他,老三﹗
The Underdog Knight pits Mainland's top actor Liu Ye against Hong Kong thespian Anthony Wong and other famous screen tough guys in a battle of the best actors. Lan Yu's lanky Liu toughens himself up to play the Travis Bicklesque protagonist Lao San in this stylish action drama. Lao San is an idealistic war veteran, who decides to uphold justice on his own, using his kung fu to fight criminals and ultimately change the world. When the spear that once belonged to Song dynasty General Yue Fei - whom Lao San idolizes - is in exhibition, an internationally infamous bandit (Anthony Wong) eyeing the national treasure becomes Lao San's toughest enemy yet. 10月30日 Fri 14:57:26
香港籠屋「升呢」,榮獲國際關注。美國有線新聞網絡(CNN)昨日報道豪宅樓價屢創新高下的本港籠民慘況,引發外國觀眾參與討論。港府把籠屋問題歸咎於租金及籠民本身的意願,社工則批評這是香港房屋政策的失敗,並對香港形象受損感到慚愧。有籠民說,特首曾蔭權不會因國際傳媒關注而改善對他們的態度。
CNN的報道以《活在香港的籠》(Living in a cage in Hong Kong)為題,披露香港籠屋的慘況。記者Eunice Yoon今年9月透過社區組織協會,訪問了觀塘一個住了19個人、僅625平方呎的籠屋單位。汗流浹背的她在34℃室內高溫下,講述國際大都會下草根居民的生活環境,單在 YouTube觀看轉載版本的網民,半日已超過300人次。
網民:香港政府白癡
報道訪問了籠民鍾火流,從前當保安員,月入3,875元,去年金融海嘯後被裁。眼看現有的積蓄,連1,160元的籠屋月租也應付不來。 CNN邀約港府訪問被拒,只能引述港府書面回應稱:「政府一直重視草根所需,包括住屋需求……他們選擇居於床位,除了因為租金低廉,也由於單位設在方便的市區。」
CNN記者特別提及香港豪宅市場近日交投瘋狂,港島西半山樓盤天匯一個複式單位以 4.39億元成交,呎價創紀錄,對比籠民生活苦況。
網民反應激烈,有人直言「羞恥!」有人說"I hate HK."有留言衝着港府的回應而來:「香港政府是一群白癡。(HK government is a group of idiot.)」更有留言說:「政府在末段的反應讓我反胃。(government's response at the end made me sick.)」
議員:我覺得好慚愧
The clearance of a weather front over Stornaway provided this spectacular view at sunrise. Photograph submitted by David Rattray on 21st October.
Photographer William Fraser tells us: "The Cuiliin peaks on Skye at 300ft, peeking through the clouds as I was flying by on Saturday 17th October"
Nick Cheesham submitted this unusual image of a sun halo. Photograph taken on 2nd October at Pine Island in Florida.
This picture was taken by Sarah Ringrose on 13th October "A beautiful scene of low lying fog, in a small valley near Lutterworth in South Leicestershire."
"A new day dawns over Penicuik, Scotland." This photo was taken on the 20th October by Kenny Hall.
As we wave goodbye to British Summer Time 2009, Colin Nichol reminds us of a towering July cloudscape, captured from Duntulm Bay looking west towards Lewis and Harris.
機師疑睡著 美客機「飛站」240公里 【明報專訊】美國西北航空一架載有144名乘客的A320客機,發生罕有「嚴重飛站」事故,兩名機師聲稱因在駕駛艙內爭辯以致分心,令客機在3.7萬呎高空,與地面控制塔人員失去聯絡達78分鐘,引發劫機驚魂,客機錯過了降落目的地,足足「飛站」240多公里後,機師才察覺出錯,急忙掉頭,最後安全降落。當局正調查「飛站」原因,包括兩人是否在駕駛時睡著引致出錯。
這架編號NW188的客機,周三由加州聖迭戈(San Diego)飛往明尼阿波利斯(Minneapolis),原定在晚上8時降落。但在約7時,地面控制塔人員與客機失去聯絡,直至8時14分,機師才跟控制塔聯絡上,但飛機已飛過原定降落的明尼亞波利斯—聖保羅國際機場,並繼續向東北飛了240多公里。
失聯絡78分鐘 惹劫機驚魂 航空管制員表示,雖然最後成功聯絡上機師,但他的回答含糊,令控制員一度擔心客機可能被騎劫。北美防空司令部證實,當時有4架戰機在威斯康星州準備就緒,倘若發現客機遭騎劫,便會即時升空攔截。
由於客機「飛站」時飛越了多個空中交通管制區域,數組不同的管制員曾先後試圖聯絡客機,但都沒有得到答覆。空中交通管制員最後要求另外兩架在附近飛行的西北航空客機,嘗試聯絡NW188班機,最後其中一架成功聯絡上,並要求NW188的機師跟控制塔聯絡。為了肯定客機未被騎劫,控制塔多次要求機師做出多項不必要的操作,以證明他們仍全權控制著客機。機師最後折返目的地,到了約9時安全降落。
機師辯稱爭拗導致分心 初步迹象顯示,機師事發時相信不知道自己的位置,以致無法迅速通知地面控制人員他們偏離了航道。兩名機師事後解釋,他們當時正為航空公司的政策激烈爭辯,以致分心和忘了位置。西北航空已暫停兩人的飛行職務,直至完成調查。國家運輸安全局將翻查航機的飛行資料和錄音紀錄,以及向兩機師問話,調查飛站真相,當中包括兩名機師是否太疲倦,齊齊睡著覺,引致「飛站」。聯邦監管部門、國會和航空公司最近正關注飛行員疲憊的問題,可能就機師在24小時內能夠飛行或值班多長時間的規定作出調整。
美國民航機一周內兩意外 這是一周以來,美國發生的第2宗民航機烏龍事件。在周一,達美航空一架波音767客機在亞特蘭大機場誤降在飛機滑行道而非跑道上,幸好沒釀成意外。
有線新聞網絡/美聯社/華爾街日報
Pilot on wayward plane: ‘Nobody was asleep’
Police say both men in cockpit passed breath tests, apologized after flight WASHINGTON - The first officer of the Northwest Airlines jet that missed its destination by 150 miles says there was no fight in the cockpit, neither he nor the captain had fallen asleep and the passengers were never in any danger.
"Nobody was asleep in the cockpit," Richard I. Cole, the first officer on the flight, said in front of his Salem, Ore., home on Friday.
But two days after he and a colleague blew past their destination as air traffic controllers tried frantically to reach them, Cole would not say just what it was that led to them to forget to land Flight 188.
"It was not a serious event, from a safety issue," Cole said in front of his Salem, Ore., home. "I would tell you more, but I've already told you way too much."
Air traffic controllers and pilots tried for more than an hour Wednesday night to contact Cole and the flight's captain, Timothy B. Cheney, of Gig Harbor, Wash., using radio, cell phone and data messages. On the ground, concerned officials alerted National Guard jets to prepare to chase the airliner from two locations, though none of the military planes left the runway.
"We were not asleep; we were not having an argument; we were not having a fight," Cole said.
He would not discuss why it took so long for the pilots to respond to radio calls, "but I can tell you that airplanes lose contact with the ground people all the time. It happens. Sometimes they get together right away; sometimes it takes awhile before one or the other notices that they are not in contact."
Passed alcohol breath tests The Minneapolis Star Tribune, citing an internal Northwest document it said was described to the newspaper, reported that Cheney and Cole began what was to be a five-day flying stint Tuesday with a flight from Minneapolis to San Diego. The newspaper said the pair had a 19-hour layover before Wednesday's return flight.
A police report released Friday said the pilots passed breathalyzer tests and were apologetic after the flight. The report also said that the crew indicated they had been having a heated discussion about airline policy.
But aviation safety experts and other pilots were deeply skeptical they could have become so distracted by shop talk that they forgot to land an airplane carrying 144 passengers. The most likely possibility, they said, is that the pilots simply fell asleep somewhere along their route from San Diego.
certainly is a plausible explanation," said Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Va.
Unfortunately, the cockpit voice recorder may not tell the tale.
New recorders retain as much as two hours of cockpit conversation and other noise, but the older model aboard Northwest's Flight 188 includes just the last 30 minutes — only the very end of Wednesday night's flight after the pilots realized their error over Wisconsin and were heading back to Minneapolis.
Suspended during inquiry Cheney and Cole have been suspended and are to be interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board investigators next week. The airline, acquired last year by Delta Air Lines, is also investigating. Messages left at Cheney's home were not returned.
FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said in general, an unsafe condition created by a pilot could lead to the suspension of the person's pilot license and possibly a civil penalty.
With worries about terrorists still high, even after contact was re-established, air traffic controllers asked the crew to prove who they were by executing turns.
"Controllers have a heightened sense of vigilance when we're not able to talk to an aircraft. That's the reality post-9/11," said Doug Church, a spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said fatigue and cockpit distraction will be looked into. The plane's flight recorders were brought to the board's Washington headquarters.
Newsweek: Puzzling explanations from pilots The pilots were finally alerted to their situation when a flight attendant called on an intercom from the cabin.
Voss said a special concern was that the many safety checks built into the aviation system to prevent incidents like this one — or to correct them quickly — apparently were ineffective until the very end. Not only couldn't air traffic controllers and other pilots raise the Northwest pilots for an hour, but the airline's dispatcher should have been trying to reach them as well. The three flight attendants onboard should have questioned why there were no preparations for landing being made. Brightly lit cockpit displays should have warned the pilots it was time to land.
"It's probably something you would say never would happen if this hadn't just happened," Voss said.