Commercial pilot falls asleep, flies past Australian island destination by 46km
- The pilot for Vortex Air had suffered a sleepless night due to a personal crisis before the early morning flight over Bass Strait
A commercial pilot is under investigation after falling asleep in the cockpit of a freight plane and overflying his Australian island destination by 46km (29 miles), officials said on Tuesday.
The pilot, who has not been identified, was the only person aboard the twin-propeller Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain and was flying on autopilot during the early morning flight on November 8 from Devonport city on Tasmania 250km (155 miles) northwest to King Island in Bass Strait, his employer, Vortex Air, said in a statement.
The pilot “unintentionally fell asleep while in command of the aircraft,” the Melbourne-based airline said.
“The issue became apparent when air traffic control was unable to contact the pilot in-flight, and the aircraft travelled past the intended destination point while operating on autopilot,” the statement said.
Air traffic control recordings showed several radio calls were made to the unresponsive pilot, The Australian newspaper reported.
The pilot landed safely on King Island, Vortex Air said.