Airline pilot "caught" dozing in flight

[turbinejunkie]

Airline Pilot Caught Dozing in Flight
Fri Apr 30, 2004 07:28 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - A pilot for Japan's All Nippon Airways fell asleep at the controls for several minutes while on a domestic flight and had to be awakened by a government inspector who was traveling in the cockpit.

A spokesman for the airline said on Friday that the 50-year-old pilot, whose name was not released, dozed off while flying on March 23 from Tokyo's Haneda airport to the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, a trip that takes about an hour.

An official from the Transport Ministry, who was in the cockpit for a routine inspection, woke the pilot after he fell asleep as the plane was cruising at 12,000 meters (36,000 feet), but he dozed off again and had to be awakened a second time.

"He was asleep for two or three minutes," the spokesman said.

The spokesman said there was no danger to passengers since the plane was on auto-pilot and the co-pilot was also present. The pilot, who has been suspended, is undergoing medical tests.

Last year, a Japanese bullet train driver fell asleep at the controls while his train was traveling at 270 km (168 miles) an hour. He was found to suffer from sleep apnea, in which a person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep, causing daytime drowsiness.

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Anybody have any additional info to add here?

TJ:ok:

[Interconti]

Do Japanese CAA Inspectors just walk on to the flight-deck? I doubt that....
If the inspector was sitting in the cockpit for the whole flight and the chap fell asleep without briefing his crew abou a "controlled rest" then it is of course a different story and the poor guy has maybe a health problem.

[Slasher]

"He was asleep for two or three minutes," the spokesman said.

Yep its great how much better you feel after just a few minutes dozing! Im off to Guilin in a while and Im hopin to steal a quick 20 minutes on route if the bloodey thundereys dont keep me awake.

Of course Ill be nice and use CRM on my offsider - "Im gonna have a quick shuteye champ so dont touch nothin!" :suspect:

[Milt]

Confessions of a Fighter Pilot

There I was in a wide battle formation of four Mustangs on our way back to base in Japan after 4 missions in Korea circa 1950.

Low setting sun in the eyes. Shut an eye now and then. Later both and off to sleep.

Trimmed slightly nose down. Increasing speed - increasing noise awakened me with a jolt.

Must have descended through about 2000 ft

Now wide awake and snuck back into formation.

No rest stops around. Strange - didn't sleep too well that night!!

[thegypsy]

Milt

I would have thought the setting sun was behind you!!????

Maybe you were just fatigued or caught the reflection in your mirror???:O

[geo7E7]

Flew with this young cappy one day on a 6 hr sector through out the night. During cruise he said something about how a short nap is actually good during times like that ( low monitoring period ) so that he'd conserve some energy during the last hour before landing. I had to stay awake and refused to take his offer later to find out that during the last hour of the flight, I could hardly keep my eyes open and having tremendous difficulty in calculating a simple descend profile....he took over and even did a greaser on a short runway!!!!
Now that I'm on the left seat, never fail to take a short nap during "low monitoring period" in the air and it does help a lot! But of course, with a proper CRM and high level of respect towards your righthand man... and not while someone from the regulatory body on the jumpseat!!!...... If you're sleepy, don't push it, tell the next guy that you're shutting an eye, just don't over do it with saliva running down your collar!:ok:

[Milt]

TheGypsy

You are a smart one. Would have liked to have had you as my No 2.

Sorry about the sun.
I was working from a 54 year old memory.
Instead of the sun it may have been the moon but something was very soporific.

How about the flight out of Honolulu some years ago that had both pilots having a long snooze. Autopilot took them around in large circles. On awakening they figured they couldn't get to intended destination and had to return to Honolulu for refuel.

[thegypsy]

Milt

I think you would have been my No 2!!!

No not particularly smart but having flown countless flights from Seoul to San Francisco which fly over Japan it just didn't sound right.

:ouch: