It was an alarm that woke her up as the autopilot disconnected.
Ethiopian Airlines pilots fell asleep on August 15 and missed the landing. According to information from the New Zealand Herald, the two pilots began their nap during flight ET343, which connected the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, with that of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. The plane hovered at 11,000 meters thanks to the autopilot system.
As the Boeing 737 approached the arrival airport, it did not begin its descent. On land, air traffic control tried several times to contact the crew in vain. The autopilot then separated as the plane passed the runway, which set off an alarm and eventually woke the crew.
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The pilots therefore turned around and landed 25 minutes later on the Addis Ababa runway. No one was injured and the plane landed safely. “Pilot fatigue is not new and continues to be one of the biggest threats to flight safety,” said aviation specialist Alex Macheras. For its part, Ethiopian Airlines has confirmed the suspension of the two pilots pending further investigation.
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