A commercial pilot is currently under investigation for allegedly falling asleep at the yoke and missing his Australian landing.
The unidentified man was the only person on board the auto-pilot driven, twin-propeller Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain flight from Devonport city on Tasmania, the Associated Press reported.
He “unintentionally fell asleep while in command of the aircraft,” the aviator’s Melbourne-based employer, Vortex Air, said in a statement. “The issue became apparent when air traffic control was unable to contact the pilot in-flight, and the aircraft traveled past the intended destination point while operating on autopilot.”
When he awoke, the pilot was able to land his aircraft on King Island — nearly 30 miles past his original landing zone.
The investigation is being conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, a crash and risk investigator, and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, the aviation industry regulator, according to the AP.
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