By John Ikani
A pilot was fired after he apparently fell asleep at the controls whilst flying a passenger plane, causing a communication blackout and a terror alert.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the pilot working for Italy’s state-run airline, ITA had dozed off in the cockpit on flight AZ609, flying from the US to Italy on 30 April.
The Co-pilot was also asleep in what was reported as a “controlled rest” at the time, as is allowed by most airlines – but the captain of the flight was also unreachable by air traffic control for just over 10 minutes, with the plane cruising on autopilot.
As the plane was flying over France, the communications blackout sparked a terror alert, with French air traffic control informing their Italian counterparts that the aircraft may have been highjacked.
Efforts made by ITA Airways central command to contact the pilots directly, first via satellite cell phone and then through ACARS proved abortive.
Fighter jets were scrambled and instructed to fly alongside the A330, although they weren’t needed as the pilots responded soon after.
Around 10 minutes later, the pilots responded and proceeded to Rome, landing the aircraft without incident.
The captain stated that the radio connection was interrupted due to a technical issue, but according to ITA, this was refuted by an examination of the aircraft.
Pilots can generally take a sleep break on long-haul flights, if it is ensured that another pilot is awake and reachable.
The airline dismissed the pilot because of his behaviour on board and because it felt that the relationship of trust had been irreparably damaged.
There are no known disciplinary proceedings against the second pilot, who, according to the report, had informed about his sleep break in accordance with the rules.
