Yawning
What do these planes all have in common?
Boeing 737 - Mangalore, India - 2010
Air Canada - April 16, 2012
Jet Blue - July 2012
Boeing
The pilot woke up after a nap in the cockpit and took over the controls. His co-pilot warned him repeatedly that he was coming in at the wrong angle and that he should pull up and try again. The last sound on the cockpit recorder was the co-pilot screaming that they didn't have any runway left. The plane overshot the landing and burst into flames. Only eight people survived from 166 occupants. An investigation found the captain was suffering from "sleep inertia."
Air Canada
Several passengers were injured when the planes pilot went into a sudden dive after he mistook the planet Venus for an oncoming plane.
Jet Blue
Texas judge found that a Jet Blue pilot's bizarre ranting in the cabin was a psychic breakdown that lack of sleep was a contributing factor.
The connection in all three incidents and/or accidents was a lack of sleep. The lack of sleep isn't confined just to the airline industry. Drowsy drivers account for 20% of automobile accidents. It appears coffee, energy drinks and sleep medications have little effect on blunting drowsy people in all areas of the workplace. Industry is slowly coming around to the "brief nap" rooms that overcome sleepiness. Without that brief nap the effectiveness of the person at work is poor.
In several "posts" I wrote sleep deprivation and fatigue were covered. This is a new twist that addresses points I left out in earlier discussions.
Very interesting information as our schedules leave us less and less time to get adequate sleep.
Sleep deprivation is always a factor in private aviation. Don't take chances.
