Airplane flight 188 misses destination

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is reviewing the cockpit voice recorder after a Northwest airliner overshot its destination by 150 miles on Wednesday.

According to CNN.com the airplane was flying from San Diego, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota carrying 147 passengers.

After the airplane had reached 37,000 feet there was no longer any radio communication between the airplane and air traffic controllers in Minneapolis. The air traffic controllers continued to track the flight but became increasingly worried when the aircraft flew over the Minneapolis airport. After finally getting in contact with the pilot traffic controllers were worried that the plane had been hijacked because the answers the pilot gave were vague.

Traffic controllers asked the pilot to do a series of maneuvers in order to ensure that hijackers were not flying the plane.

The staff said they had become distracted and the NTSB is looking into whether the crew was distracted of if the pilot had perhaps fallen asleep. 

My Take: I have to admit this article made me wonder how seriously pilots and their crew handle flight situations. I think students should recognize how important it is for pilots and crew members to be alert and in control of situations that they are 100% responsible for.  

Rock band Phish comes to Syracuse 

Tickets for the American rock band Phish, went on sale today and according to Syracuse.com local fans did more than just wait in line.

People camped overnight in front of the Onondaga County war memorial in hopes of getting a ticket to Phish’s show on November 22 the fourth stop on the bands 2009 fall tour.

The band officially broke up in 2004 but the 2009 tour announces their reunion and new album together titled Joy.

Some fans camped out in tents overnight, some brought blankets and umbrella’s to brave the elements- all in order to get tickets to a show at a fair price without being cheated by scalpers.

My Take: After transferring to Syracuse University this semester I am very impressed with the music scene. I think that although Syracuse is not a very large city it brings talent to fit every taste. From Stevie Wonder to Phish college students can find something that they enjoy. 

Explosion in Puerto Rico

An explosion outside the capital of Puerto Rico turned into a huge fire and plumes of smoke Friday morning.

According to MSNBC.com the site of the explosion was a fuel storage facility, and the explosion was so big that the smoke and flames could be seen from miles away. The explosion was so powerful that it shattered windows and shook the ground.

Authorities advised that more tanks could explode before the fire is fully extinguished.

There have not been any recorded fatalities. 

The Associated Press reported that the explosion, which happened at 12:30 am, was equivalent to a 2.8 magnitude earthquake.

Investigators are looking into some graffiti with the message “bomb, fire, RIP, gulf,” which was found in a tunnel close to the explosion site.

My Take: It will be interesting to follow this story and see if the graffiti has any connection to the explosion. The main reason I chose this story was because I was fascinated with the photographs that were taken moments after the explosion.