Pilots who slept during flight get their license back after FAA suspension

The two pilots who shocked the airline industry by dozing off during a flight and sending air traffic controllers into panic mode have now received their licenses back.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had suspended the licences of two pilots of go! airline for having fallen asleep during a flight from Honolulu to Hilo in Hawaii on February 13, 2008. Both have received their pilot licenses back after serving the suspension period.

Captain Scott Oltman, 54, had his licence suspended for 60 days and First Officer Dillon Shipley, 24, for 45 days by the FAA for “careless and reckless operation of an aircraft during flight.”

The two pilots had been sacked by go! in April 2008.

Captain Scott Oltman was later diagnosed with a severe obstructive sleep apnea, which causes people to stop breathing repeatedly, preventing a restful night of sleep.

The Hawaii-based go! is an inter-island carrier run by Mesa Air Group Incorporated, Based in Phoenix, Arizona, the United States. The airline started inter-island operations on June 9, 2006, using five Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jet aircraft.

The mid-morning incident had taken place at an altitude of 21,000 feet over Hawaii, when air traffic controllers found themselves unable to contact the flight crew for as long as 17 minutes. The two pilots had dozed off in the cockpit when the plane was on auto-pilot.

The air traffic controllers had finally managed to wake up the dozing pilots, after making almost a dozen calls, as the plane flew over the Pacific Ocean on autopilot, veering off its intended destination of Hilo.

The Bombardier CRJ-200 jet, carrying 40 passengers, then turned around and landed safely in Hilo.

The Federal Aviation Administration, the agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the US, did not take action against go! because “the carrier did nothing wrong and had provided the pilots with a 15-hour break before their shift, nearly double the minimum required.”

Initial investigations by the FAA had examined the aircraft’s pressurisation system and had measured carbon monoxide levels to explain why both pilots would fall asleep on a 45-minute morning flight. No problems with the aircraft were found.

A report prepared by the United States National Transportation Safety Board had concluded in June 2008 that the two pilots “unintentionally fell asleep.”

Following the mid-air incident, the US National Transportation Safety Board urged the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines to monitor pilot fatigue more closely. It said the two pilots in question had been on duty for four and a half hours that morning, and “were on the third day of a trip schedule that involved repeated early start times and demanding sequences of numerous short-flight segments.”

The website guardian.co.uk quoted David Reynolds, flight safety officer for the British Air Line Pilots Association, as saying that the Association was not aware of any other incident in which both pilots had unintentionally fallen asleep. “However,” Reynold added, “it is far better for computers to fly the aircraft while pilots focus on monitoring the controls.”

Operating procedures of many airlines stipulate that cabin crew regularly visit the flight deck to bring the pilots refreshments and ensure that the pilots are all right.

According to aviation experts, flight crew habitually switch on the autopilot when reaching 2,000 feet, after take-off, and take back manual control only when the aircraft has descended to that level before landing.

Emirates offers Atlantis stay for passengers

Entering into a tie-up with Atlantis, the flagship resort and water park recently opened on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, Dubai-based Emirates Airline has unveiled a new offer for its passengers.

Passengers flying Emirates Airline’s First Class or Business Class to or via Dubai over the coming months will receive a complimentary stay in the Atlantis.  The offer includes unlimited access to the amazing water playground Aquaventure, featuring water rides as well as The Lost Chambers, a maze of underground tunnels offering fascinating underwater views.

According to Keith Longstaff, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide , “We are delighted to offer our First and Business Class customers this opportunity to be amongst the first to experience the world-class facilities at Atlantis. We hope many of our passengers will take advantage of this complimentary offer to enjoy a Dubai experience combining the excellence of Emirates’ service and the UAE’s new tourist attraction.”

Passengers flying Emirates Business Class to or via Dubai during the offer period will get a complimentary one-night stay at Atlantis, while eligible Emirates First Class passengers will enjoy two nights’ complimentary stay.

This is for customers on a bed and breakfast basis, based on single or double room occupancy and is valid for new bookings made on qualifying Emirates flights between  October 4 and December 24. The accommodation must be pre-booked via Emirates and confirmed before arrival in Dubai , the airline has said.