Plane flying by 'snooze control'

A pilot was locked out of the cockpit of a passenger airliner in mid-flight while his co-pilot slept, it was reported on Thursday (31 January).

Britain's The Daily Telegraph said on its web site that the low-cost Dutch airline Transavia - a subsidiary of Air France-KLM - has launched an investigation into the incident.

It occurred on a Boeing 737 flight to Crete in September last year but was made public only on Wednesday (30 January) when the Dutch aviation safety board released its quarterly report. The board said the captain of the Dutch-registered plane left the controls to go to the toilet.

On returning to the cockpit he found the first officer asleep.

According to the Telegraph, EU legislation is in the pipeline that could result in pilots working longer shifts.

It adds that a recent European Cockpit Association survey suggested that four in 10 pilots have fallen asleep at the controls.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge