Airline fires 2 pilots who overshot Hawaii runway

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Two pilots for Hawaii's Go airlines who overshot a runway by 15 miles while trying to land on the state's Big Island have been fired.

Mesa Air Group confirmed Thursday that it fired the pilots but won't identify them. Go is an inter-island carrier run by Mesa.

Investigators say they were looking into whether the pilots had fallen asleep when the plane carrying 40 passengers drifted off course during a February 13 flight from Honolulu to Hilo. Air traffic controllers were unable to contact the cockpit for 25 minutes.

The plane landed safely in Hilo.

The Air Line Pilots Association says it filed a grievance with the airline on the pilots' behalf. Union attorney John Dean says the pilots were fired 10 days ago. E-mail to a friend

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