Asleep at the "Wheel"?
I notice the post regarding the pilots who overshot their destination in the USA has been closed. Don't know why as this had very few comments but is a very serious issue, obviously.
This wasn't a looong transcontinental flight, just a domestic.
It appears they may not have been taking the in flight 'catnap' but were engrossed in their laptops. Who knows what they were doing but it wasn't what they should have been doing, i.e. navigating the aircraft.
Can you imagine someone doing their CPL flight test and overshooting the airfield by 200 nm or 50 or even 20 and not realising........probably a failure I imagine.
So I'm not a heavy driver and would therefore like to ask just what flight deck crew do while cruising in between at altitude..........is flying now that boring with automation that it induces sleep and inattention or is fatigue a real issue over there and possibly here?
Who knows what goes on as we don't get to visit the flight deck anymore of course so maybe that is an issue.
Incidentally, flying from YBBN to YPPH tomorrow courtesy QF so one hopes that we don't overfly and end up in South Africa!!