Airlines
Pilots of Boeing 737 fall asleep, miss landing.
An Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane’s two pilots both slept off during the approach to an Ethiopian airport. Read more
An Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane’s two pilots both slept off during the approach to an Ethiopian airport, leading the plane to overfly the runway until the autopilot’s warning awoke them. According to a story from The Aviation Herald, the event occurred earlier this week while Ethiopian Airlines Flight 343, a Boeing 737-800, was traveling from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
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The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2.5 hours before departing for its next flight. When the pilots of the Boeing 737 fell asleep in the cockpit, the aircraft was traveling at a height of 37,000 feet (11,277 meters), which caused it to approach Addis Ababa Boke International Airport without lowering.
INCIDENT: Ethiopian Airlines 737 pilots fall asleep on a flight between Khartoum and Addis Ababa, only to be woken up by the autopilot disconnecting as the aircraft overflew the runway. https://t.co/06AU4FYKk4 pic.twitter.com/twLoGfalIC
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) August 18, 2022
The crew was repeatedly unsuccessfully attempting to be contacted by air traffic control. The autopilot detached after passing over the runway at a height of 37,000 feet, activating an alarm that woke up the pilots. About 25 minutes later, the aircraft made a safe return trip to the airport.
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