Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
30 September 2013 08:53
A report has emerged of two pilots, severely fatigued, who fell asleep in the cockpit at the same time
A couple of severely fatigued pilots who had only five hours' sleep in each of the previous two nights both nodded off at the same time in the cockpit of a UK passenger plane, according to an official report.
They were the only two people tasked with flying the aircraft, and are said to have not been given enough opportunity to sleep properly in the previous two days because they were on duty for too long.
The case is perhaps an extreme example of why having travel insurance can cover passengers for the most unexpected of potential problems.
UK pilots' organisation Balpa is currently opposing an EU plan to relax the rules governing the amount of time pilots should fly without a break.
Details of the incident, which happened on August 13, appear in a Civil Aviation Authority report obtained by a news agency inquiring about examples of pilot fatigue.
The authority does not identify the airline company or the destination of the flight.
A statement from Balpa said: "In the UK we have a strict set of flight safety rules which govern how long and how often a pilot can fly before their performance is impaired.
"The EU is proposing more permissive flight safety rules which would allow pilots to be flying aircraft whilst dangerously fatigued.
"These rules were not developed using scientific data and could have a grave impact on the safety of UK aviation."
The EU proposal is "flawed in many areas" with pilots being legally allowed to land an aircraft having been awake for 22 hours; pilots operating longer-haul flights (such as west coast US) with only two crew rather than the current three and pilots possibly being forced to work up to seven early starts in a row, Balpa said.
The Civil Aviation Authority report, entitled 'Flight crew suffering from symptoms of severe fatigue', said: "Reporter (almost certainly the captain) suggests both members of flight crew had only five hours sleep in two nights due to longer duty periods with insufficient opportunity to sleep.
"Both crew rested for 20-minute rotations and fell asleep."
23 September 2016
Theresa May is being urged to give the go-ahead for flights to resume between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh by the head of the cross-party parliamentary group on Egypt.
[more...]
22 September 2016
Budget airline Jet2.com is to open its first base in the south of England at Stansted.
21 September 2016
Smoking rates have dropped to the lowest level on record in England, new figures show, suggesting messages about the health effects of cigarettes are hitting home.
20 September 2016
Concerns have been raised over flight disruptions caused by heavy drinking among passengers.
17 September 2016
British Airways' decision to launch direct flights from London to Tehran earlier this month positions Iran as one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2017, according to experts.
16 September 2016
More than 100 flights have been cancelled as French air traffic controllers go on strike again.
15 September 2016
Two thirds of MPs would support an expansion at Heathrow.
14 September 2016
TripAdvisor is launching a new homepage, making the booking of holiday activities and tours even easier.
13 September 2016
Travellers are to be charged to use fast lanes to get through passport checks in an attempt to cut queues.
09 September 2016
People travelling to regions affected by the Zika virus outbreak should practise safe sex for at least half a year upon their return, health leaders say.
08 September 2016
British Airways is apologising to passengers for delays after an IT glitch hit check-in systems.
07 September 2016
Tiny particles that are breathed in and taken into the brain through air pollution could trigger Alzheimer's disease, research finds.