Airline Safety
It is very important to maintain safety measures in airlines. Being so high in the sky is certainly anxiety-producing to many people and trust the airline pilots to do their best to maintain the safety of the passengers, whilst getting them to their destination.
However, there are times where pilots have to conduct multiple flights at once, and it can absolutely get tiring to pull that off. Additionally, there are certain things that pilots have no control over, such as engine failures, which lead to emergency landings. In some cases, these emergency landings can be devastating, or they can land safely in water or on land.
Pilots Fall Asleep
Due to the fact that emergencies are absolutely random, it is important for the pilots to stay awake to help avoid terrifying circumstances. It is even more important for them to be awake during a flight, and with around 150 people on board their aircraft. However, that was not the case, as both pilots on this flight were sleeping during the flight.
Thankfully, there were no injuries reported, as the pilots were able to wake up after 30 minutes of their ‘nap.’ Air traffic control was trying their best to get ahold of the ‘napping’ pilots, to no avail. Eventually, the PIC (pilot in command) woke up, to which he found the SIC (second in command) asleep as well.
This could have certainly been a scary situation, not only for the pilots/flight attendants, but for the passengers as well. After learning that their airline pilots had fallen asleep during the flight, passengers were certainly rattled. At the same time, they were angry as well, as their lives were on the line for those 30 minutes or so.
The Future of The Airline
It is evident that this airline needs to pay more attention to the rest time of their crew. That way, they are able to avoid these circumstances, and avoid putting their passengers’ lives at risk. Additionally, the two pilots also underwent a medical evaluation to determine if they were unfit to fly. However, that came back inconclusive, as it was evident all they needed was rest. Despite all of this, no passengers were injured, and the aircraft was not damaged in the slightest.
Written by David Loran Jr
Sources:
CBS News: Two pilots fall asleep mid-flight with more than 150 on board 36,000 feet in the air
People: Flight with 153 Passengers Veers Off Course After Both Pilots Fall Asleep in Cockpit
Featured Image Courtesy of Masakatsu Ukon’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Tomas Del Coro’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
