Tired pilot ‘mistook Venus for plane’
Pilot fatigue was to blame for a passenger plane going into a nose dive over the Atlantic, injuring 16 people onboard, according to Canadian authorities.
The co-pilot of the Air Canada flight from Toronto to Zurich plunged the aircraft 120metres after he mistook the planet Venus for another aircraft. The report said he’d just woken from a 75-minute nap and he was disoriented.
Passengers and crew who were not wearing seatbelts hit their heads on the ceiling during the 46-second dive, sustaining minor injuries.
Altogether, 14 passengers and two crew were taken to hospital when the aircraft landed in Zurich.
The incident has led to a call from the Canada Pilots Association for a third pilot to be mandatory on overnight flights.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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