FAA Suspends Sleeping Hawaiian Airline Pilots
#11
#12
Gentlemen, need I say more.
FAA suspends sleeping airline pilots
HONOLULU — Two pilots for Hawaii's Go airlines who slept through their flight's landing procedure were suspended for the careless and reckless operation of an aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday.
The pilots, who have been fired by Go, completed their suspensions on Sept. 9, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. He did not know whether they are flying again with a different carrier.
Captain Scott Oltman, 54, who was also cited for failing to maintain radio communications, had his license suspended for 60 days. First Officer Dillon Shepley, 24, was suspended for 45 days.
Gregor said no action was taken against Go because it did nothing wrong and provided the pilots with a 15-hour break before their shift, nearly double what the FAA requires.
The National Transportation Safety Board had determined the two pilots fell asleep on the Feb. 13 flight from Honolulu to Hilo.
Oltman was later diagnosed with a severe obstructive sleep apnea. It causes people to stop breathing repeatedly, preventing a restful night of sleep.
However, it was still unclear how both pilots fell asleep on the brief midmorning flight, which was carrying 40 passengers.
No problems were found after examining the aircraft's pressurization system and carbon monoxide levels.
The pilots failed to respond to nearly a dozen calls from air traffic controllers over a span of 17 minutes.
In recordings obtained by The Associated Press, the controller is heard repeatedly trying to contact the pilots and talks to the pilot of another Go flight in hopes of reaching Flight 1002.
"I'm worried he might be in an emergency situation," the controller says.
Finally, about 44 minutes into what is usually a 45-minute flight, the controller was able to establish radio contact. By that time, the plane had passed the airport at Hilo by 15 miles, and the controller ordered the flight crew to return.
The pilots were able to reverse course and landed safely at Hilo International Airport.
Go is an inter-island carrier run by Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. It declined to comment on the suspensions.
FAA suspends sleeping airline pilots
HONOLULU — Two pilots for Hawaii's Go airlines who slept through their flight's landing procedure were suspended for the careless and reckless operation of an aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday.
The pilots, who have been fired by Go, completed their suspensions on Sept. 9, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. He did not know whether they are flying again with a different carrier.
Captain Scott Oltman, 54, who was also cited for failing to maintain radio communications, had his license suspended for 60 days. First Officer Dillon Shepley, 24, was suspended for 45 days.
Gregor said no action was taken against Go because it did nothing wrong and provided the pilots with a 15-hour break before their shift, nearly double what the FAA requires.
The National Transportation Safety Board had determined the two pilots fell asleep on the Feb. 13 flight from Honolulu to Hilo.
Oltman was later diagnosed with a severe obstructive sleep apnea. It causes people to stop breathing repeatedly, preventing a restful night of sleep.
However, it was still unclear how both pilots fell asleep on the brief midmorning flight, which was carrying 40 passengers.
No problems were found after examining the aircraft's pressurization system and carbon monoxide levels.
The pilots failed to respond to nearly a dozen calls from air traffic controllers over a span of 17 minutes.
In recordings obtained by The Associated Press, the controller is heard repeatedly trying to contact the pilots and talks to the pilot of another Go flight in hopes of reaching Flight 1002.
"I'm worried he might be in an emergency situation," the controller says.
Finally, about 44 minutes into what is usually a 45-minute flight, the controller was able to establish radio contact. By that time, the plane had passed the airport at Hilo by 15 miles, and the controller ordered the flight crew to return.
The pilots were able to reverse course and landed safely at Hilo International Airport.
Go is an inter-island carrier run by Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. It declined to comment on the suspensions.
#13
#16
It wouldn't completey protect them because it wasn't a sole source disclosure. Obviously ATC knew they flew well past their destnation with no communication. And as such ATC could be a second source of notification to the FAA of the incident. So no pure immunity under ASAP or ASRS.
#17
#18
It wouldn't completey protect them because it wasn't a sole source disclosure. Obviously ATC knew they flew well past their destnation with no communication. And as such ATC could be a second source of notification to the FAA of the incident. So no pure immunity under ASAP or ASRS.
Mesa has no ASAP, but a NASA form would have probably saved them a suspension...I'm amazed they were stupid enough to not file one. They still would have still been fired (nasa has nothing to do with that) and still would have been violated, but they would not have been suspended...unless they had already used their nasa silver bullet in the last five years.
NASA (ASRS) will NOT work under these conditions:
- Criminal Activity
- Intentional Act
- Actual damage/injury occurs
- Pilot has been violated in the past five years.
I'm pretty sure you could make a case that over-sleeping your destination was not intentional.
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