KGMB9 first broke the news two pilots may have taken a nap in the cockpit on an interisland flight.

Now it has uncovered news another go! flight also had a communication blackout, just the day before.

It was flight 15 from Kona to Honolulu last Tuesday.

The FAA said it lost communication with the pilots for 10-15 minutes.

Two blackouts in two days, the FAA said that's rare. But they don't know yet why it happened.

This comes as we learn more about the initial bizarre flight.

King Whetstone was on Flight 1002 from Honolulu to Hilo last Wednesday.

He noticed it landed about 15 minutes late. As he stepped off the plane, he saw the pilots.

"The other guy got up and walked around like I did," said Whetstone. "But I did notice the other pilot was kind of like slumped over the steering wheel, like maybe he was worn out or tired."

KGMB9 News has obtained a more detailed radar track that shows the full path of Flight 1002 as it neared Hilo.

Sources said for 25 minutes, air traffic controllers couldn't reach the pilots. Then they overshot the Hilo airport by 15 miles and headed out to sea before turning around and landing safely.

Did the pilots fall asleep? That's what the FAA and now passengers on board want to know.

"My heart was pounding when I found out I was on that flight even though it was last week," Whetstone said. "I still just think, man, something could have happened. I'm glad it didn't.

Since our story aired, dozens of current and former Mesa pilots have told KGMB9 fatigue is a big problem in the airline industry. But especially at Mesa, which owns go!.

One former Mesa pilot said, "I had a captain fall asleep on me 3 times during a flight once."

According to FAA regulations, pilots can fly for 8 hours, but can be on duty up to 16 hours a day.

Mike Uslan, a former Mesa pilot and a longtime critic of the company said while other airlines use those rules as a guideline, "Mesa, however, uses these FAA as a goal. They kind of shoot for absolute extreme saying 'well, we didn't break the law, we didn't cross the FAA regulation. So we are legal we must be safe.'"

That can lead to exhaustion. To drive that point home, several years ago, two Mesa pilots filmed themselves sleeping on a flight.

KGMB9 News has learned the captain on Flight 1002 was based in Nashville. A Mesa spokesperson says despite previous reports, he was not forced, but volunteered for temporary duty in Hawaii and had been flying here for about a month.

Sources said his check-in that morning was at 4:45 am. He is a 16-year veteran. His co-pilot has around 1000 hours, low considering Mesa's own website says it prefers pilot applicants to have 2000 hours of total time

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