pilot fatigue

9 Stories

Sleepy Co-Pilot Mistook Venus for US Military Plane

Report blames 'sleep inertia' for Air Canada accident that injured 16

(Newser) - We've all awaken from naps feeling a little groggy and confused—but not many of us have been at the controls of a Boeing 767 at the time. An accident that injured 16 people on an Air Canada flight early last year was caused when the co-pilot—startled awake...

Northwest Pilot: We Weren't Sleeping
Northwest Pilot:
We Weren't Sleeping
runaway plane
Oct 24, 2009 9:55 AM CDT

Northwest Pilot: We Weren't Sleeping

But he won't offer more details on why they overshot airport

(Newser) - One of the pilots of the infamous Northwest flight that missed the airport says neither he nor his co-pilot were napping. "I can assure you none of us was asleep," says Richard Cole, who gave separate interviews to ABC and the AP. "It was not a serious...

Cockpit Recorder No Help in Northwest Flight Probe
Cockpit Recorder No Help in Northwest Flight Probe
runaway plane
Oct 23, 2009 3:30 PM CDT

Cockpit Recorder No Help in Northwest Flight Probe

Device captures just half an hour; record of 78-minute gap lost

(Newser) - Because the aircraft has an old cockpit voice recorder, the world may never know why the pilots of Northwest Flight 188 lost contact with ground control for 78 minutes. The recorder on the Airbus A320 has a maximum memory of 30 minutes, after which it tapes over itself. So investigators...

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing
Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing
runaway plane
Oct 23, 2009 10:42 AM CDT

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing

Investigation continues into errant Northwest flight

(Newser) - The passengers aboard the Northwest flight that overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles—possibly while the pilots napped—didn't have a clue anything was amiss beyond a nagging sense that the flight was taking a long time. One tells the Star Tribune that he asked about it, and a...

Pilots May Have Dozed Off Before Landing

Feds open investigation after plane overshoots airport by 150 miles

(Newser) - Travel regulators suspect the pilots of a Northwest Airlines flight fell asleep in the cockpit yesterday. First clue: Controllers lost contact with the plane for more than an hour as it overshot its destination by 150 miles. The jet, en route from San Diego with 147 passengers aboard, finally turned...

Buffalo Crash Puts Pilot Fatigue Under Microscope

(Newser) - You want to be a flashy, high-flying pilot? Get ready for poverty-level wages, grueling commutes, and near-constant exhaustion, the New York Times reports. The inquiry into the crash of Flight 3407 near Buffalo has thrust regional airlines into the spotlight, and with that attention comes concerns about pilots’ challenging lives....

Sleepy Pilots Want Trimmed Schedules
Sleepy Pilots Want Trimmed Schedules
Sep 12, 2008 10:11 AM CDT

Sleepy Pilots Want Trimmed Schedules

Penny-pinching means more flying, on FAA rules dating from '60s

(Newser) - Airline pilots are seeing their flying hours approach the federally mandated limit, and many of them have had enough, the Wall Street Journal reports. Safety experts agree that the current regulations, in place since the 1960s, don't reflect current knowledge about the dangers of fatigue. But penny-pinching airlines keep pushing...

Pilots Can Now Fly Until Age 65
Pilots Can Now Fly Until Age 65
Dec 15, 2007 9:23 AM CST

Pilots Can Now Fly Until Age 65

New law raises mandatory retirement age from 60

(Newser) - US pilots can now fly until they're 65 instead of being of being forced to retire at age 60. A bill signed into law yesterday raises the mandatory retirement age to reflect the greater physical fitness of today's 60-year-olds, the Chicago Tribune reports. The new law puts an end to...

Tired Pilots Wake Up Just in Time to Land Red-Eye

2004 incident comes to light during Congressional hearing

(Newser) - Two commercial pilots—one of whom had flown three straights nights—fell asleep on a red-eye flight from Baltimore to Denver in 2004 but woke up just in time to land safely, the Rocky Mountain News reports. The plane was coming in much too fast and high, but the captain...

9 Stories