Pilot falls asleep in mid-air - twice

Independent Online ^ | 4/30/2004 | unknown

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Tokyo - A Japanese airline pilot nodded off twice while at the controls of a domestic flight last month - in front of a transport official who happened to be on board for a routine inspection.

The 50-year-old All Nippon Airlines pilot has been grounded pending an internal probe ordered by industry regulators, company spokesperson Kunio Shibata said on Friday.

Shibata said the 80 passengers on the flight from Tokyo to the south-western city of Ube were never in danger because the Boeing 767-300 was flying on autopilot at the time of the March 23 incident.

He called it "extremely regrettable" and said Japan's second-largest airline was redoubling efforts to ensure safety.

According to the airline, the pilot started to doze off after the aircraft had reached its cruising altitude and the autopilot had been engaged. The Transport Ministry official on board for a routine inspection noticed and tapped the co-pilot on the shoulder, and the pilot then woke up.

The pilot, whose name has not been released, nodded off again a few minutes later, prompting the co-pilot to yell at him.

The airline is conducting an investigation into the incident ordered by the ministry to determine whether the pilot was negligent or is suffering from a sleeping disorder, Shibata said. - Sapa-AP

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Need some more coffee, Captain?

[martin_fierro]

All NAP-pon Airlines.

[genefromjersey]

It must have been those little twin girls singing. You know,the ones who summon

MOTHRA .

[FourPeas]

It must have been those little twin girls singing.

So THAT'S why I can't stay awake behind the wheel.

[mikegi]

This is nothing new. My father was a navigator in the USAF in MAC. He says pilots fall asleep all the time. In fact, he believes that the KAL007 pilots misprogrammed their flight computer and fell asleep while their jet drifted off course.

[EGPWS]

A Japanese airline pilot nodded off twice while at the controls of a domestic flight last month - in front of a transport official who happened to be on board for a routine inspection.

And this is a bad thing?

The A/P flies the aircraft much better than the PIC, and if the A/P fails to do so, the bells and whistles going off in the cockpit (oop's, for the PC people I mean "flight deck") would be enough to wake the dead, and probably give the alert FO a coronary in the process.

[EGPWS]

Need some more coffee, Captain?

No thank you it will just keep me awake!

How about you FO, would YOU like some coffee?

No thanks I don't drink coffee.

I'll take a martini, however, if you have one!