"F" Bombs Dropped, Friday Flight Canceled

It was an unhappy Easter-weekend for about 180 passengers, whose flight was cancelled Friday because of some X-rated language the pilot tossed out on board a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit from Las Vegas.

CNN reports Northwest canceled the flight, apologized for the delay, and offered hotel accommodations and penalty-free re-booking on the next available flight out of Las Vegas, a spokesman for the airline said.

The pilot began cursing at passengers while Flight 1190 was preparing for takeoff, according to airline officials and witnesses.

From the time the unidentified captain stepped aboard the aircraft, first-class passengers reported hearing him use "animated" language while talking on his cell phone, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told CNN.

"He was having a fit, swearing up a storm," one passenger said. "He was saying 'F this' and 'F that.'"

When confronted by passengers, the pilot became "obscene" and began cursing the passengers, she said. "He made a big disturbance."

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the local FAA flight standards office were notified, Gregor said.

According to reports, when police arrived on the scene, they pulled the pilot aside, interviewed him, but did not administer a field sobriety test. Gregor said he did not know the reason behind that decision.

FAA officials were instructed by Northwest's chief pilot to remove the pilot from the aircraft. The chief pilot also requested the pilot be flown to Detroit for further questioning, Gregor said.

The airline said "a review of the matter" was being conducted. "Reports of inappropriate language by a crew member" caused the flight to be canceled.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the FAA's flight standards investigation unit was investigating the incident. According to the spokesman, the FAA has the authority to send a "letter of admonition" to the pilot or, in the most extreme cases, revoke a pilot's FAA certificate.

FMI: www.nwa.com, www.faa.gov