Two pilots fall into a deep sleep, skipping the runway during a flight from Sudan to Ethiopia

Weather of Arabia - Two pilots, who were piloting an Ethiopian Airlines plane, fell into a deep sleep while the plane was at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,000 metres), causing the plane to exceed the landing runway, according to the "Aviation Herald" website, which specializes in matters of affairs. and aviation accidents.

The passenger flight on a Boeing 737, which has a capacity of 154 seats, took off from Khartoum Airport in Sudan, heading to Addis Ababa, on a flight that takes less than two hours between the two neighboring countries.

When the flight approached the airport, the plane did not start landing procedures, so air traffic controllers tried to contact the crew, but the autopilot system kept the plane at an altitude of 37,000 feet, and when the autopilot stopped, the two pilots woke up to the sound of the alarm bell, and then the plane started after that. In the maneuver, the plane landed safely after about 25 minutes.

Ethiopian Airlines issued a report on the incident, saying: We have received a report indicating that Ethiopian flight ET343 on its way from Khartoum to Addis Ababa temporarily lost contact with air traffic control in Addis Ababa on August 15, 2022.” She added that the flight later landed safely after Contact with the crew has been restored, and the crew members have been suspended from work until the investigation is completed, and appropriate corrective measures will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.

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Mixed reactions to the accident

Reactions to falling asleep on the job ranged from sympathy for the pilots' busy schedules to shock because they fell asleep on the job, with a flight analyst describing the incident as "extremely disturbing".

While others saw the funny side of the story, commenting on Twitter, "Sleep at work takes you to new heights!"

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It's 'very worrying'

Alex Macheras tweeted: “Pilot fatigue is nothing new, and continues to be one of the most significant threats to air safety internationally.”

Deeply concerning incident at Africa's largest airline — Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 #ET343 was still at cruising altitude of 37,000ft by the time it reached destination Addis Ababa

Why hadn't it started to descend for landing? Both pilots were asleep. https://t.co/cPPMsVHIJD pic.twitter.com/RpnxsdtRBf

— Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) August 18, 2022

The accident comes just months after pilots at Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines warned airline executives that pilot fatigue was on the rise and urged them to treat fatigue and the resulting errors as a safety risk.

This comes with the increasing demand for air travel as life returns to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic closures, amid the chaos of cancellations caused by severe weather that was among the reasons for the increased exhaustion of pilots.

Last May, Italian newspaper Repubblica reported that an International Trade Agency pilot had been fired after he "slept" during a flight between New York and Rome.

The co-pilot was said to be taking an "authorized rest" at the time, which resulted in the Airbus A330 losing contact with air traffic control for ten minutes, according to the report.