Pilots Sleeping at Work
Even nervous fliers don’t expect both pilots to fall asleep on a short flight, but that happened on a flight from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii. Bloomberg reports that the plane went 30 miles past its destination before reversing course and landing safely in Hilo with 43 passengers and crew. Pretty remarkable when you know the flight normally takes 51 minutes.
The National Transportation Safety Board considers that starting work at 5:40 a.m. for three consecutive days before the incident likely contributed to the pilot’s fatigue. In addition the captain’s severe sleep apnea wasn’t diagnosed until after the flight.
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