Japanese pilot dozes off twice during 1h flight

**Maciamo** · Apr 30, 2004, 18:15

A Japanese pilot dozed off twice at the controls during an hour-long internal flight last month, All Nippon Airways (ANA) has admitted.
The airline issued an apology on Friday after the 50-year-old captain was revealed to have napped while flying 184 passengers and crew on auto-pilot.

The pilot has been suspended and is currently undergoing medical tests.

Last February, a bullet train driver with 800 passengers on board travelled about 26km at almost 300 kilometres (186 miles) an hour while sleeping soundly.

He was discovered to be suffering from a syndrome which causes sufferers to fall asleep suddenly during the daytime.

This is to put in relation with the blatant incompetence of Japanese doctors and taxi drivers, and shall I also mentioned corrupted politicians without a single ideal, school teachers that cannot teach something that is not in the book and even Japanese English teachers that cannot speak English...

Take this with a grain of salt, but there is nevertheless an underlying problem in these professions. Erring is human, but I doubt that Japanese should be more human than Westerners.

**jeisan** · Apr 30, 2004, 20:00

wasnt there another bullet train driver that ended up nearly passing a station because he was sleeping too? something like only the last car or two made the platform. or was that the same guy?

**playaa** · May 1, 2004, 00:29

HAHA Talk about a scare! If the pilot fell asleep on me I believe I would have to throw him out! Let him wake up to the 1500ft he has left to fall.

**ashuri2** · May 1, 2004, 13:42

my goodness...and we thought our drunken pilots were really bad- i mean, they are, but apparantly japan has some issues with that stuff too...teachers who can't teach english?

isn't that why they set up the JET program?

**Maciamo** · May 1, 2004, 15:52

Originally Posted by ashuri2

teachers who can't teach english?

isn't that why they set up the JET program?

Yes, partly. And also why Japanese have to take private lessons with native speakers after graduating.

**Keiichi** · May 1, 2004, 17:30

It's nice to know that the pilots are getting some good rest to give us a good flight.

**ashuri2** · May 2, 2004, 12:57

i guess you could also say our pilots were getting some much neede r & r while they were drinking so that they could handle the plane better...

**AviFunniBunni** · May 12, 2004, 16:51

But really it was only an hour long flight couldn't he stay awake... and where was the co-pilot?

**Maciamo** · May 13, 2004, 00:28

Another article said that he slept for 20 minutes.

Anyway, now that I think about it, there must have been at least one co-pilot, so that doesn't really matter...

**playaa** · May 13, 2004, 00:30

HE must have went out the night before and got some drinks or was drinking. But it does not take 2 pilots to fly, while in the air. So no MAJOR deal but still not safe.

**Keiichi** · May 13, 2004, 05:06

Well if two pilots are needed, I'm sure the other one can be woken up when necessary. But still. *lol*

**yimija** · May 13, 2004, 23:43

Originally Posted by Maciamo

Another article said that he slept for 20 minutes.

Anyway, now that I think about it, there must have been at least one co-pilot, so that doesn't really matter...

Frightning, however !!! 2 "responsable" pilots assleep at the same time ?

That seems to be quiet impossible *, since the automatic pilot in a plane will ask a "referal question" every 10 minutes and that function CANNOT BE TURNED OFF. In some airlines the referal question comes even more often, every 5, 7, 8, 9 minutes. (referal question consists in a specific task which varies every time and are numerous). (*unless plane is "so old" that the system has not been implemented, but I believe that it would not be allowed to fly as per IATA rulings)

The referal system is also known in trains and I'm extremely surprised to hear that it happened. In the TGV in France (Bullet trains) the driver (who can be sick or even die) has to do a specific task every "X" minute(s). If he does'nt respond to it immediately (delay is +/- 10 seconds) the train will immediately send out an electronic message to the control room, where responsable living persons will take the situation under close attention and simultaneously, the train will automatically slow down and stop if nothing else happens.

If I'm wrong, then I'll keep on walking... until some car driver, asleep himself too, will run over me...

**Keiichi** · May 14, 2004, 02:34

That sounds like an interesting fail-safe system. I'm just wondering, what kind of specific tasks, for example, if you know?

**Uncle Frank** · May 14, 2004, 03:00

1. Grab stewardess's butt !
2. Grab stew's breast !
3. Pull stew into lap for kiss !
4. Send stew for coffee !
5. Read latest issue of Playboy !!
6. Play Gin Rummy with co-pilot !
7. Did out secret flask for a little nip !
8. Set off HiJack alarm to see if anyone's awake down there !
9. Report UFO sighting to break up boredom !
10. Ask passengers if they see the little man out on the wing tearing off the panel.(As in old Twilight Zone)!

Frank

**kirei_na_me** · May 14, 2004, 03:05

That was a good Twilight Zone! Nightmare at 20,000 Feet!

**ashuri2** · May 14, 2004, 06:03

hmmm...i'd never doze off and kill people at the wheel...too much paperwork!

**Uncle Frank** · May 14, 2004, 07:16

Originally Posted by Keiichi

That sounds like an interesting fail-safe system. I'm just wondering, what kind of specific tasks, for example, if you know?

BUNTARO, he's an airline pilot !!

Frank

**yimija** · May 14, 2004, 13:36

Originally Posted by Frank D. White

1. Grab stewardess's butt !
2. Grab stew's breast !
3. Pull stew into lap for kiss !

Frank

Come on Frank, we know this happend, but they were talking about pilots falling asleep... so where were the hostesses ?? Are you reading playboy FranK ? Naughty !!! LOL
the "tasks" I'm talking about, for instance in trains will depend on the system, some are situated onthe weel and the man has to press a special control ring, or there will be a green red, or orange light lighting up and a buzzer and he will have to press a button to stop the noise.
This last system is also installaed in planes, but tasks are more numerous such as checking the course and approving it, checking numerous differents flying or technical parameters, (If there is a pro pilot in the forum, it would be nice to have precisions, my flying capacities are limited to small birds...

**Keiichi** · May 14, 2004, 14:47

I'm sure those tasks will get so repetitive with a some kind of pattern that the pilots can do them in their sleep.

**yimija** · May 14, 2004, 15:00

Originally Posted by Keiichi

I'm sure those tasks will get so repetitive with a some kind of pattern that the pilots can do them in their sleep.

No way and don't worry, the ones that build planes know better than that. they wouldn't do something like that, nor for trains either.

**名無し** · Jul 6, 2004, 21:03

ANA Says Captain Who Dozed during Flight Had Sleep Disorder

**Blue 3** · Jul 6, 2004, 23:18

Time to Jump in.

2 of my current students are pilots. One for ANK(local div of ANA) and the other for JAS(owned by JAL). They both tell me that they're only there to check that the instruments are working during flight. Sometimes, they let the plane land itself. One of them likes to sleep and he lets his co-pilot take care of things. The other told me about a time when he told the passengers about a turbulance that never came so he decided to shake the plane up himself.

**Buntaro** · Jul 7, 2004, 01:43

A "referal question" system to wake up pilots?

~~~

I am an airline pilot (as Frank noted with his scary attention to detail), and I would like to respond:

Sorry, but I have never heard of such a system. Warning horns will go off, but only when an emergency is already in progress. Pilots who rely on an autopilot to wake them up are in for a rude surprise.

Want to hear something surprising? Pilots ROUTINELY sleep on long trans-oceanic flights. Some people say that they are advised to do so. Can you imagine trying to stay aware and sharp through 12 hours of sheer boredom at 30,000 feet?

Also, 747's have BUNKS on board for the flight crew! That is always a great place to catch a few winks.

Every airline I know of has a policy when ONE pilot must be awake, and sitting at the controls in flight. The other can doze off, many do, and I think that this is a fine system. However, when BOTH pilots doze off, they are looking for trouble.

**Arc Light** · Jul 7, 2004, 01:45

Actually, that kind of thing happens pretty regularly here...just never hear about it until a plane finds the ground before the runway.

**digicross** · Aug 7, 2004, 07:59

Though one might on why he fell asleep in the first place.

But if he fall asleep due to exhaustion because his work, I hope that he would just get off with a light disclipinary action. Flying is quite exhausting not due physical actions, but due to the constant attention.

Though if he regulary fall asleep in his work, maybe he should decided a change in carrer?

Of course, there are differences between taking a nap and falling asleep. Pilots like to take a nap (they need to, especially in long flights), but they're not supposed to fall asleep.

As for a dead man switch feature in a 747.

Older aircrafts (think propellers) might have this kind of feature, but not in a 747.

Though with all of the automation these days, it would be interesting incase all the pilots are all incapacitated and there's no one flying the craft, the computer will bring down the craft on the nearest runway, unless of course the computer decided that the craft should land on a building. Who ever hear a computer landing a Boeing 767 on a building?

As for long non-stop flights.

I think that they have at least two crew shifts for long non-stop flights. So there might be around three to four pilots (2 Captains and 2 Pilots) onboard in a long flight.

In long multiple stops flight on the other hand, the shift change was done while the aircraft is on the ground.