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Air India pilots doze off -- jet wanders off through Indian airspace
Think you're the only one that's tired after that redeye between New York and London? The pilots are too, and they actually have to fly the aircraft back in a couple of days. Good thing they get plenty of rest and drink a ton of coffee to stay alert in the cabin.Or do they? Earlier this month, two pilots on an Air India flight bound for Mumbai fell asleep in the cockpit, completely missing the airport. They were halfway to Goa before air traffic control was able to wake them up. A source close to the incident is quoted as reporting that: "The aircraft should have begun its descent about 100 miles (160km) from Mumbai, but here it was still at cruising altitude. We checked for hijack."
Your guess is as good as mine about how they check for a hijack.
After finally waking up the crew, the aircraft was turned around and pointed back to Mumbai, where the incident is now quietly trying to be brushed under the rug. A local bureaucrat downplayed the incident by suggesting that there was a communications error instead of napping going on in the cockpit. I suppose if you're asleep and can't talk, that's a communication error, right?
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Jonathan Jun 28th 2008 5:26PM
Hey joey, ever see a grown man sleep naked? Sleep? What is it captain over? Something pilots do in the cockpit while there overworked and hundreds of lives are at steak. But that’s not important now! Hey joey want to sleep with us? No thanks captain over, ill just disengage the autopilot, turn off the altitude warning system and reset the alarm clock to snooze another hour.
Jonathan
P.S. Didn’t this just happen over Denver in the USA?
Louis Jun 29th 2008 4:18AM
There is one little problem that everyone seems to overlook. There is a good chance that these pilots are suffering from anoxia, i.e. lack of oxygen. This most certainly can contribute to a sense of sleepiness. The air on planes today is very bad and recirculated. Certainly they were tired, but there most certainly was a lack of oxygen in the cockpit.
The airlines need to stop recirculating the air to save money on fuel. The would most certainly help pilots stay awake.
John Jun 28th 2008 5:54PM
7700, enough said!!
lol Jun 28th 2008 6:13PM
lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol.........
Jana Jun 29th 2008 5:33PM
Hijack check:
ATC Supervisor: "Ok, guys, checklist time"
1. any new bin Recording Studios release?
2. Chatter?
3. Pre-emptive accusations from any governments?
Nothing? Cool.
Dave and his a-hole buddy Thomas Nyquilled out again. For official release: Communication error.
Dean Jun 28th 2008 6:24PM
Theres something new here?
allison Jun 28th 2008 6:27PM
This is why you fly well known airlines. Most crashes are third world airlines. It is very expensive to maintain pilots up to date on the planes that they fly and to comply with the requirements of the authorities that control air travel in the US and other first world contries.There are very strict requirements about the service and replacement of parts on aircraft. I don`t think that third world countries have either the money or expertise to comply with these standards.
Anthony Vicinanza Jun 28th 2008 7:13PM
Airplanes are assigned a descreet transponder code which appears along with altitude on the radar screen of air traffic control. If the pilot changes the code to 7700 it means emergency, 7600 means radio failure and 7500 means hijack. This is commonly available info.
jabo Jun 28th 2008 7:44PM
they should have snorted a couple of fat lines that would have kept them awake
Tim Jun 28th 2008 7:48PM
Maybe this is why Boeing is naming the new 787 the "Dreamliner." No, really this isn't funny stuff. Seems like that part of the world; India, China, Africa has some real safety issues in commercial aviation. We have our own here in the USA as reflected in comments by experienced pilots. I'm still bothered when I think of the Comair flight a couple of years back that crashed on take off in Kentucky. First, the crew gets on the wrong airplane and then attempts to take off on the wrong runway. Here in Spokane, WA every once in a while a military flight mistakes GEG for Fairchild and ATC really freaks out.
Bobby G Jun 28th 2008 8:03PM
"...the incident is now quietly trying to be brushed under the rug..." ???
Incident to brush: Here brush! Over here! Brush me under the rug, please! Please? Push harder. We aren't at the rug yet.
Rug to Incident: Why don't you try and get brushed under something else?
Brush to Incident: I don't brush "Incidents"
Joe Jun 28th 2008 8:33PM
This not that uncommon an occurrence, especially on cargo flights. I've heard of night transcon cargo flight into LAX where a crew was awakened only by the company phone constantly ringing...in the old days...and the freighter was already passed LAX and about 100 miles out over the Pacific.
There's no secret about the xponder codes...I may be wrong, but I seem to recall that the 9/11 crews were not permitted to squawk any emergency code...which was one of the factors that delayed response.
I'd bet you could Google up the codes in .28 secs.
Keep it real...
David Jun 28th 2008 8:47PM
And yet everyone criticized a pilot a few days ago, after the pilot announced to passengers that he was too upset to fly.
Make up your damned minds.
David Jun 28th 2008 8:51PM
And yet everybody was critical a few days ago about United cancelelling a flight from Salt Lake City after the pilot announced to passengers that he was too upset to fly.
Make up your minds.
Carolyn Krivit Jun 28th 2008 10:26PM
ok....ok.....but they still had peanuts!!!!
OC719 Jul 1st 2008 7:29PM
I'm surprised this hasn't happened more often...the minute the plane levels off...the auto pilot goes on, then the snoozing starts or picture/video taking.
VagabondFrank Jul 3rd 2008 5:55PM
"Have you guys seen jack?"
"Who?
"Jack! I'm worried about him!"
"I'm right here! I'm fine."
"Oh... hi jack."