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ITA pilot fired after DOZING OFF during NY-Rome flight and triggering terrorist hijack response

Authorities suspected a terrorist plot and the pilot blamed faulty equipment, but it turns out it was the captain dozing off

An ITA Airways pilot has been fired after he allegedly fell asleep in the cockpit during a flight. Air traffic controllers were unable to communicate with the passenger flight from New York to Rome on April 30 for a period of 10 minutes, which caused the officials from France to send a warning to Italy.

They warned the Italian authorities that a hijacking may be on the way. Though the captain later claimed there was a malfunction in the equipment, an internal investigation found out various inconsistencies in his story.

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During the worrisome minutes of confusion, the co-pilot too was napping owing to the 'controlled rest' as allowed by standard procedures. However, the captain is supposed to be awake and reachable at all times, as reported by Telegraph. This situation had both the pilots of the ITA Airways AZ609 asleep when they were supposed to be controlling the passenger flight. 

Michele Anzaldi, a centre-left lawmaker from Italy, called for an apology from the state-owned carrier. He said on Twitter, "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 and must apologise to the passengers."

A spokesperson for the airline informed passengers that the flight was on autopilot and completely safe as it was flying at a normal speed. The safety of passengers was never compromised. In the statement to Telegraph, the carrier company said that the captain did not act in compliance with the procedure. 

On Twitter, a user said, "Sometimes the main problem isn't the mistake you make, but what you do about it afterwards"

Another questioned, "If the FO was permitted to rest, wasn't there a relief pilot in the cockpit?"

Do pilots sleep during flight?

Yes. This is standard practice throughout the industry as it is proven to improve flight safety by ensuring the crew is well rested for the approach and landing. Needless to say, at least one pilot must be awake and at the controls at all times.

There are two rest categories - Controlled Rest and Bunk Rest. The former is where the pilot sleeps in the cockpit while, during a Bunk Rest, they can rest in the passenger cabin. Controlled rest allows for naps of up to 45 minutes, whereas a bunk rest can be 3-4 hours long.