'Distracted' Pilots Forget To Land Plane

October 23, 2009 10:51 a.m. EST

Minneapolis, MN (AHN) - Northwest Airlines flight 188 was supposed to land in Minneapolis, but it's "distracted" pilots flew the plane 150 miles past the airport before turning around to make the landing.

Fears of a hijacking arose after contact with the plane was lost for an hour as it cruised at 37,000 feet, BBC News reported.

The flight, with 147 passengers on board, landed safely at Minneapolis after the airline resumed contact with the pilots.

The crew said they were distracted because they were involved in a heated debate over airline policy, but officials will check to see if either had fallen asleep.

After air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, the FAA contacted the military, which put two fighters jets on alert, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

After continuing 16 minutes past it's intended landing stop in Minneapolis, pilots finally resumed contact and turned the plane around to land.