...reading this bears to mind the incident at Schiphol where the aircrew lost situational awareness (this time due to brabbling to each other?) and CFIT in the polder just short of the runway.
If one is tired after a long haul or an international flight or a red-eye, ok, but to resort to a "side trick" in order to get clearance for a non-sop ... brings questions to mind.
I know by own account that uncoupling the FMS and doing a manual is a better way to wake up then any(if company sop's permit blabla). Now I do give credence to the crew that they had the nerve and balls to declare a situation, but this does need an investigation and consequences. Both pilots too tired !? Thinking an auto-land is then better, WTF? What if something disconnects mentioned in a post before at MDA or DA, engine failure, bird strike, runway incursion etc, what about scanning the instruments what is 10x more harder and sleep inducing when you are doing absolutely NOTHING and tired instead of excerting physical motion? If I were ATC I would give them a GA and vector them awake, when landed have them call me, or else have a MD meet them on the apron!
But fine..., years ago I saw a documentary of the pilots "burdened" with operation give it a name in Irak. Came out these guys (and girls to some extent) were so high on pep pills they may just as well had been snorting coke on their ND! Do we need to start resorting to these measures taken from the military? The HUD (which is a positive thing) is already introducing itself in the cockpit...
But...as always, good work getting the dollars asset safely on the ground + passengers. Just something really wrong with the airline and/or BOTH pilots!