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27 Sep, 2013

Most pilots admit they have fallen asleep on duty – The Independent

Of the 500 commercial pilots polled, 43 per cent said they believed their abilities had been compromised at least once a month in the last six months by tiredness, with 84 per cent saying it has been compromised at some stage during the past six months.

Also, 31 per cent did not believe their airline had a culture that lent itself to reporting tiredness concerns, with only half (51 per cent) saying they believed their airline chief executive would back them if they refused to fly because of tiredness. Unprompted, 49 per cent said pilot tiredness was the biggest threat to flight safety – three times more than any other threat.

The poll came after it was reported that both pilots on an Airbus passenger plane were asleep at the same time, with the UK-operated aircraft flying on autopilot.

Read the rest: Most pilots admit they have fallen asleep on duty – Home News – UK – The Independent.