By Kevin Diaz

We always knew we lived in fly-over land, but this is ridiculous. Now help from Washington is on its way. Sen. Al Franken joined the fray Friday, writing to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to ask for an expedited investigation into the incident involving Flight 188, which stopped responding to air traffic control for 75 minutes and overshot the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport by 150 miles.

"Minnesotans deserve to understand what went so terribly wrong," Franken said. "Yesterday's overshoot and the nine hour Rochester tarmac delay in August both highlight the critical need to revamp our national air traffic control system. This isn't the first time Minnesotans have been subject to gross negligence on the part of the airline industry – but it ought to be the last."

The Rochester tarmac delay refers to the incident last August when a plane was stranded on the tarmac in Rochester overnight, its passengers forbidden from deplaning.
Franken says that in both the incidents the "sterile cockpit rule" may have contributed to the problem. Intended to prevent pilots from engaging in idle chatter, some fear the rule may now be preventing flight crews from communicating with the cockpit in urgent situations. In both instances, Franken's office says, flight crews appeared more aware of the situation in the cabin than the pilots or airports.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating yesterday's overshoot. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also reviewing the rules governing how many hours commercial pilots may fly and remain on duty.