U.S. pilots who overflew airport lose licenses

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Tuesday revoked the licenses of two Northwest Air pilots who overflew their destination, telling investigators they lost their bearings while discussing company policy and using their laptops.

The pilots of Northwest Flight 188 from San Diego to Minneapolis on October 21, lost contact with air controllers for more than an hour and missed their destination by 150 miles, aviation officials said.

Both told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that they "lost track of time" during conversation on new crew schedules. They were also using their personal laptop computers as part of that discussion, officials said.

The schedules were put in place as a result of Northwest's merger with Delta Air Lines Inc in 2008.

Delta has suspended the pilots, identified by Minneapolis-St. Paul airport police as Timothy Cheney and Richard Irwin Cole, pending the outcome of the NTSB investigation and an internal company probe.

The Federal Aviation Administration revocation cited several violations and is effective immediately. The penalty can be appealed within 10 days to the NTSB, the agency said.

The Delta pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association, urged NTSB investigators to proceed cautiously and avoid a "rush to judgment."

"We implore all interested parties to move with deliberate and unemotional professionalism as the events surrounding this incident are investigated," said Lee Moak, chairman of the Delta's pilots union.

(Reporting by John Crawley in Washington and Andrew Stern in Chicago; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)