Ethiopian Airlines has suspended the two pilots who fell asleep in the cockpit and missed their landing.
The
carrier has moved swiftly to remove the pilots from active duty pending an
investigation.
The
two pilots were asleep at the controls of a Boeing 737-800 when they were
supposed to be landing, forcing the aircraft to go around and land without
casualty 25 minutes later.
The
incident, which many speculate was caused by fatigue, occurred on August 15,
this year at the end of a 90-minute flight between Khartoum International
Airport (KRT) and Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD).
The statement
Ethiopian
Airlines in a statement "The concerned crew have been removed from
operation pending further investigation.
“Appropriate
corrective action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.
Safety has always been and will continue to be our first priority."
Air
traffic control repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) tried to contact the pilots
after the flight reached its top of descent near Addis Ababa while still
cruising at FL370.
Investigation pending
Ethiopian
Airlines did not explicitly confirm whether the pilots were asleep or not,
instead stating that the aircraft "temporarily lost communication"
with air traffic control.
This
is perhaps understandable, as the incident only occurred less than a week ago
and the airline is still conducting a thorough investigation.
It
is not clear just how long the pilots were asleep at this point; perhaps the
pilots themselves do not even know.
Data
from FlightRadar24.com shows that the aircraft reached its cruising altitude of
FL370 almost an hour before its scheduled landing in Addis Ababa.
Controlled rest
Pilot
napping, often called 'controlled rest,' is more common (and safer) than you
might think and a key tool in fatigue management. However, both pilots falling
asleep is a different issue entirely.
As
the International Air Transport Association (IATA) explains in its Fatigue
Management Guide for Airline Operators "For two-pilot crews on long-range
flights, planned 40-minute nap opportunities on the flight deck seat have been
shown to provide an average of 23 minutes of sleep and to improve alertness and
performance at top of descent.
A
short nap can improve alertness and performance and is a valuable mitigation
strategy in fatigue management."
Was pilot fatigue to blame?
The
likeliest factor behind this incident is pilot fatigue, which has caused
similar incidents in the past.
Simple
Flying reported on the ITA Airways pilots who fell asleep over France and
sparked a terrorism scare, which was also likely down to fatigue.
Source: Graphic Online