Ethiopian Airlines Flight Misses Landing As Both Pilots Fall Asleep At 37,000 Feet
Fortunately, nobody was hurt, and the aircraft could descend without mishap.
Fear of turbulence on flights is a real struggle for many. The primary reason many are scared of flying is for multiple reasons. Not just turbulence, but the whole sense of not having any control over the mode of travel makes it a scary experience for some flyers.
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But worse fears came true for many on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on August 15th when both the pilots fell asleep.
While en route from Khartoum, Sudan, to Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, two Ethiopian Airlines pilots fell asleep and missed their landing.
A report from Aviation Herald states that the incident happened on Monday. According to the investigation, when flight ET343 approached the airport but did not begin its descent, Air Traffic Control (ATC) raised an alert.
The Boeing 737's autopilot system maintained the aircraft cruising at 37,000 feet while the pilots slept.
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It said the plane stayed on the ground for around 2.5 hours before taking off on its next flight. The ATC made numerous attempts to get in touch with the pilots but failed.
The autopilot disconnected as soon as the aircraft crossed the landing strip. That set off an alert, which, according to Aviation Herald, woke up the pilots.
After that, 25 minutes later, they maneuvered the plane in preparation for a runway landing. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, and the aircraft could descend without mishap.
Aviation Data
ADS-B data from the aviation surveillance system showed evidence that the incident occurred and the plane missed the runway. It has released a picture of the plane's flight path, which shows an endless circle close to the airport in Addis Abeba.
Alex Macheras, an aviation analyst, also tweeted about the incident and termed it "very alarming." He also attributed this to pilot fatigue.
Deeply concerning incident at Africa¡¯s largest airline ¡ª Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 #ET343 was still at cruising altitude of 37,000ft by the time it reached destination Addis Ababa
¡ª Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) August 18, 2022
Why hadn¡¯t it started to descend for landing? Both pilots were asleep. https://t.co/cPPMsVHIJD pic.twitter.com/RpnxsdtRBf
Air traffic controllers tried to contact the pilots numerous times without success
¡ª Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) August 18, 2022
After overflying the runway (still at cruising altitude), the autopilot disconnected - and this chime alert woke the pilots up ¡ª who then initiated a descent and eventually made a safe landing.
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An eerily similar event occurred when two pilots on a trip from New York to Rome reported falling asleep while flying at 38,000 feet in May.
The aviation regulator conducted an inquiry, showing evidence that both ITA Airways' pilots slept while their Airbus 330 flew over France.
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