BOTH PILOTS FALL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

Italian aviation officials are looking into reports that two pilots on the same jetliner fell asleep on the job. The incident occurred on May 1, 2022 onboard an ITA Airways flight from JFK Airport in New York to Rome. There was a strange period of silence in the cockpit for roughly 10 minutes toward the end of the flight, as the plane flew at 38,000 feet over France. Repeated calls from Marseille control went unanswered. Italian media are reporting both the captain and first officer were asleep. According to procedure, the first officer is approved to sleep in case of unexpected fatigue during flight. However, the captain was not approved to sleep. The aircraft was in auto-pilot and there was likely no imminent danger posed to passengers. As French authorities prepared to dispatch a pair of fighter jets to intercept the plane and ensure there was no trouble onboard, the pilots re-established radio contact. The aircraft proceeded without further incident to Rome and landed safely. The captain was removed from service after the incident, but has maintained his innocence, denying that he took a nap and blaming the problem on a faulty radio.
* Let’s hope they were just sleeping, okay?
* How about seats that give you an electric shock every five minutes?
* Tell me again why pilots get paid so much?
* On the other hand, at least the passengers had ten blessed minutes without that stupid cabin bell going, “Ding! Buckle your seat belt! Ding! Turbulence! Ding! Here comes the drink cart! Ding!”