Originally Posted by SchmutzigMSP
Pulled this image from FlightAware.com:
http://map5.flightaware.com/flight_t...ime=1159239273
You can see several small circular tracks just east of MSP. Likely they circled around for a bit while figuring out how to get the gear up. Apparently they did since the path shows the flight continuing on to HNL.
I don't have any official word, though. Just speculation based on the FlightAware info.
It looks like the Flight Aware information is incomplete. The map you reference is apparently the flight I saw, departing around noon. If you review the track log:
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N.../PHNL/tracklog it shows him circling for about 30 minutes at 9100 feet. Doesn't show a landing however. There is also a later, 2:59pm departure of NW99 which shows a clean track to HNL. They must have come back and changed out the airplane fairly quickly. The flight status page on NWA.com shows a delayed departure by about three hours, and a delayed arrival by about two hours.
He couldn't have circled to work the problem and then proceeded on and been that late; he would have had to tank up before heading out over the water.