by Redazione Cronaca
The two planes missed landing on a flight from Khartoum to Addis Ababa on August 15. They completed the operation without consequences 25 minutes later. The company: “Removed pending further investigation”
The African airline Ethiopian Airlines suspended the two pilots who fell asleep in the cockpit and missed the landing during a flight from the Sudanese capital Khartoum to Addis Ababa. The plane passed the runway of Bole International Airport in the Ethiopian capital on Aug. 15, then turned back and landed safely. “The affected crew has been withdrawn from service pending further investigation,” the airline said. “Appropriate corrective action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation,” a note said.
The two aviators were sound asleep at 11,000 meters above sea level and missed the runway: the possibly tragic lightness was made up for with a nearly half-hour U-turn and a safe landing. This was reported by the BBC website, citing a trade publication, the Aviation Herald. Air traffic controllers had tried to contact the two pilots immediately after the Ethiopian plane passed the point where it was supposed to begin its descent, but to no avail. Only an alarm from the autopilot woke her.
The episode happened on the day of August 15th. The 154-seat Boeing 737 had departed from Khartoum Airport in Sudan and the flight to the capital of neighboring Ethiopia took just two hours. The specialized site indicates that the landing took place 25 minutes after the missed one. One aviation analyst described the incident as “deeply disturbing”: “Pilot fatigue is nothing new and remains one of the top threats to flight safety internationally,” tweeted Alex Macheras.
August 20, 2022 (Modified August 20, 2022 | 1:06 PM)
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