KGMB9 Confirms Go! Pilots Asleep

Written by Stacy Loe - sloe@kgmb9.com

April 25, 2008 12:00 AM

We knew it was a possibility. And tonight we have confirmation. The two go! Airlines pilots who overshot their destination and failed to respond to air traffic controllers, did in fact fall asleep in the cockpit. Sources tell KGMB9 News, the pilots admitted dozing off in interviews with National Transportation Safety Board investigators. Sources say the pilots told investigators they were worn out, but thought they were okay to fly that day. "This is a very serious situation," said Peter Forman, airline analyst. For nearly 20 minutes on February 13th, air traffic controllers tried to contact the pilots on flight 1002 and received no response. A radar track shows the plane overshot the Hilo airport by 15 miles and headed out to sea, before turning around and landing safely. KGMB9 News has confirmed both pilots admitted they fell asleep in the cockpit. "That makes me kind of nervous, scared that I was on that flight. We went past the location were were supposed to go to. We could have just ran out of gas in the air or anything could have happened," said King Whetstone, a passenger on flight 1002. Sources say the captain, a 16 year veteran, also confessed he has fallen asleep in mid-air before. We've learned, after the incident he was admitted to Standford Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a severe case of sleep apnea. "Certaintly that is an individual problem with one pilot but you have 2 pilots on board. The other pilot should have been able to stay awake," said Forman. Sources tell KGMB9 tests show the pilots had no alcohol, narcotics or prescription drugs in their systems. So why did they both nod off? One possible factor. We've learned they flew together 2 days before and on those flights, the autopilot on the plane wasn't working. So they had to use manual controls. "There's a lot more fatigue taking place when you are hand flying the airplane. It takes a lot of concentration to hold altitude in a jet because it wants to go up and down," explained Forman. Go's parent company - Mesa - fired the pilots last week. And sources reveal they were let go for not reporting the incident to the company right away. "I think that's a way the airline says we are going to get rid of the problem of these two pilots but we are not going to admit any guilt. So it's putting it all on the pilots," said Forman. Mesa had no comment on these new developments. For years, pilots with the company have complained about exhausting schedules and staffing shortages. In 2007, nearly half of its pilots quit. "So we not only have a problem with fatigue but we also have a problem with a lack of experience in the cockpit and those two factors, fatigue and lack of experience that's a potentionally dangerous combination and someone should look at this carefully," said Forman. The N-T-S-B won't comment until it's report is released. But we've learned its focusing a significant portion of it's investigation into pilot fatigue, a big problem in the industry.

Last Updated ( April 25, 2008 12:00 AM )