Pilot dozes off, sparks hijack alert
An ITA Airlines captain was fired was after reportedly falling asleep at the controls, which sparked an emergency terrorist hijacking alert.
The cockpit couldn’t be reached for ten minutes by air traffic controllers.
It happened on a New York to Rome flight in April.
The captain dozed off while the co-pilot was on a scheduled ‘controlled rest’ according to the incident report, as cited by Italian newspaper Repubblica.
The plane remained on autopilot and didn’t diverge from its route.
“What happened on the ITA flight from New York, where both pilots fell asleep, is very grave. “The company has a duty to guarantee that this will never happen again,” said Italian lawmaker, Michele Anzaldi.
The airline said safety was not compromised.
ITA Airways is the new state-owned flag carrier, established out of the reorganisation of bankrupt Alitalia.
Ray Monty
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