World - Africa
Updated: August 19, 2022

Ethiopian Airline Pilots Fall Asleep Mid-Flight, Miss Landing

By Quadri Adejumo
August 19, 2022
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Two pilots fell asleep at 37,000ft (11,000m), missing an airport runway before waking to safely land the plane, an aviation publication says on Friday.

It added that air traffic tried to contact them after they overshot the point of descent into Ethiopia's Addis Ababa airport.

The Ethiopian Airlines crew were finally woken up by the autopilot alarm and landed the plane on the second approach.

The aircraft reportedly continued to cruise at 37,000 feet before overflying the runway and eventually landing.

Ethiopian Airlines acknowledged an incident and said; “The concerned crew have been removed from operation pending further investigation.

“Appropriate corrective action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation. Safety has always been and will continue to be our first priority.”