Air India pilot's 'sleep inertia' caused crash
The senior pilot of an Air India jet that crashed in May was asleep for most of the flight and then made critical errors because he was disoriented after waking up, according to Indian news reports.
The crash on May 22 in Mangalore, India, killed 158 people after the jet overran the runway and plunged off a cliff.
Capt. Zlatko Glusica was captured loudly snoring on a cockpit recorder, the accident investigation found, according to the Hindustan Times. The Associated Press confirmed the account from a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report had not been presented to the Indian Parliament.
After waking, Glusica did not respond when his co-pilot H.S. Ahluwalia repeatedly urged him to abort the landing.
Indian investigators said that Glusica was suffering from "sleep inertia," a condition that can be deeply disorienting when someone is awoken suddenly from deep sleep, according to the reports.
The accident may be the most clear-cut example yet of a crash caused by a tired pilot and may affect the debate in the United States over how to alter pilot schedules to reduce fatigue, aviation safety experts say.
"This is pretty much a smoking gun," said Curtis Graeber, a fatigue expert and consultant who specializes in pilot schedules.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has found that fatigue played a role in several accidents, but has had to rely on circumstantial evidence. In the crash of a commuter plane on Feb. 12, 2009, near Buffalo that killed 50 people, investigators raised concerns that both pilots had not slept the night before, but stopped short of citing fatigue as a cause.
Graeber and others could not recall a case where a pilot involved in an accident had been recorded while asleep.
Two pilots on board a go! airlines flight in Hawaii on Feb. 13, 2007, fell asleep for at least 18 minutes, and their commuter jet flew past its destination, but the crew awoke in time to return for a safe landing.
In June 2008, an Air India aircraft headed to Mumbai flew past its destination with both pilots asleep. They landed after being awakened by air-traffic controllers.
The Federal Aviation Administration, under orders from Congress to address pilot fatigue, last September unveiled sweeping changes that would require longer rest periods for pilots. The proposal has met fierce opposition from airlines and some pilot unions.
John Cox, a retired airline pilot who works as a safety consultant, said he expects the Air India crash to be cited in the debate over U.S. regulations.
Cox also cautioned that other factors could be blamed for the India crash. For example, the co-pilot could have woken the captain earlier and been more assertive, he said.
"This flies in the face of professional training," Cox said. "What has happened here is hard to understand."
Cox and Graeber said that the factors identified in the accident seem unlikely to occur in the USA, where co-pilots are trained to speak up if they have safety concerns.
All bosses please dont tired your staff too much...
The senior pilot of an Air India jet that crashed in May was asleep for most of the flight and then made critical errors because he was disoriented after waking up, according to Indian news reports.
The crash on May 22 in Mangalore, India, killed 158 people after the jet overran the runway and plunged off a cliff.
Capt. Zlatko Glusica was captured loudly snoring on a cockpit recorder, the accident investigation found, according to the Hindustan Times. The Associated Press confirmed the account from a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report had not been presented to the Indian Parliament.
After waking, Glusica did not respond when his co-pilot H.S. Ahluwalia repeatedly urged him to abort the landing.
Indian investigators said that Glusica was suffering from "sleep inertia," a condition that can be deeply disorienting when someone is awoken suddenly from deep sleep, according to the reports.
The accident may be the most clear-cut example yet of a crash caused by a tired pilot and may affect the debate in the United States over how to alter pilot schedules to reduce fatigue, aviation safety experts say.
"This is pretty much a smoking gun," said Curtis Graeber, a fatigue expert and consultant who specializes in pilot schedules.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has found that fatigue played a role in several accidents, but has had to rely on circumstantial evidence. In the crash of a commuter plane on Feb. 12, 2009, near Buffalo that killed 50 people, investigators raised concerns that both pilots had not slept the night before, but stopped short of citing fatigue as a cause.
Graeber and others could not recall a case where a pilot involved in an accident had been recorded while asleep.
Two pilots on board a go! airlines flight in Hawaii on Feb. 13, 2007, fell asleep for at least 18 minutes, and their commuter jet flew past its destination, but the crew awoke in time to return for a safe landing.
In June 2008, an Air India aircraft headed to Mumbai flew past its destination with both pilots asleep. They landed after being awakened by air-traffic controllers.
The Federal Aviation Administration, under orders from Congress to address pilot fatigue, last September unveiled sweeping changes that would require longer rest periods for pilots. The proposal has met fierce opposition from airlines and some pilot unions.
John Cox, a retired airline pilot who works as a safety consultant, said he expects the Air India crash to be cited in the debate over U.S. regulations.
Cox also cautioned that other factors could be blamed for the India crash. For example, the co-pilot could have woken the captain earlier and been more assertive, he said.
"This flies in the face of professional training," Cox said. "What has happened here is hard to understand."
Cox and Graeber said that the factors identified in the accident seem unlikely to occur in the USA, where co-pilots are trained to speak up if they have safety concerns.
All bosses please dont tired your staff too much...
