Pilot Falls Asleep Midair And Misses His Destination

Have you ever fallen asleep on the Metro and go pass your destination? But this time, imagine you are a pilot flying a plane, you fall asleep and wake up, only to realize you have missed your destination.

That was precisely what happened to a flight in Australia which misses its original destination by almost 50km. It is reported that the pilot fell asleep inside the cockpit. This is a freight flight on November 8^th from Devonport to King Island in Tasmania. It is lucky that there are no passengers on board except for the pilot himself as this is a freight flight. This has been classified as “incapacitation” and is being further investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

It has not been revealed as to how the pilot was able to wake up before making a safe landing. In a statement from the ATSB, it is said a flight operated by Vortex Air, a Piper PA-31, VH-TWU, has caused pilot incapacitation near King Island Airport, Tasmania on November 8^th, 2018. The case was being investigated.

The statement also mentioned that during the flight, the pilot fell asleep, which caused the airplane to pass King Island by 46 kilometers. The case has been considered “serious” by the ATSB. Relating to pilot fatigue, Australia has set out strict rules. Aviation experts also agree that no one should be flying planes when they are in such fatigue state.

This flight, according to reports, is one of the seven trips made by the plane that day. The pilot will be interviewed, and operating procedures will be reviewed by the ATSB. The bureau will release a report by next year.

A poll made by British Airline Pilots’ Association released in 2013 stated that more than 50% of pilots have admitted that they have fallen asleep while on a plane. While 29% said they have found their co-pilot also fallen asleep, nearly 56% revealed that they fell asleep on the flight deck.