National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said Thursday the pilots have filed appeals with the safety board. The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the licenses of Captain Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Washington, and First Officer Richard Cole of Salem, Oregon, saying they put the 144 passengers of Northwest Flight 188 in serious danger.

Cheney and Cole told investigators they lost track of time and place while working on their laptops. They failed to communicate with air traffic controllers for 91 minutes, raising national security concerns.