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Plane overshoots Mumbai as both pilots sleep in cockpit,
ATC wakes up Pilots using special Buzzer !
Mumbai: An Air India Jaipur-Mumbai flight flew well past its destination with both its pilots fatigued and fast asleep in the cockpit. When the pilots were finally woken up by anxious Mumbai air traffic controllers, the plane was about halfway to Goa.
This nap in the sky took place about a fortnight ago on the domestic leg of Dubai-Jaipur-Mumbai flight IC 612 which had about 100 passengers on board. „The plane took off from Dubai at 1.35 am (Indian Standard Time) and then from Jaipur at 7 am. After operating an overnight flight, fatigue levels peak and so the pilots dozed off after taking off from Jaipur,’’ said a source.
The flight schedules of the pilots prior to this flight are not known.
The aircraft was supposed to take the A 474 South route, a designated route to Mumbai, and since it was on autopilot it headed in that direction. ”It was only after the aircraft reached Mumbai airspace that air traffic controllers realised it was not responding to any instructions and was carrying on on its own course,’’ said the source.
Says an air traffic controller, „The aircraft should have begun its descent about 100 miles from Mumbai, but here it was still at cruising altitude. We checked for hijack and when there was no response we made a SELCAL (selective calling).’’
Every aircraft has its own exclusive code. When the ATC uses this high frequency communication system—which it does very rarely and only when other communication draws a blank—a buzzer sounds in the cockpit. Jolted by the sound of the SELCAL buzzer, the pilots woke up and brought the plane back to Mumbai safely.
Kanu Gohain, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, was not available for comment. Contacted for Air India’s version on Wednesday evening, Jitendra Bhargava, director, public relations, said, ”The director, operations, is getting information on the matter.’’ However, there was no reply until the time of going to press.
General manager, Mumbai aerodrome, M G Junghare, denied that the pilots were asleep behind the control column. „The aircraft had a radio communications failure and so could not be contacted. It had gone only ten or 15 miles off Mumbai and after we ascertained that it was not hijacked, we made the SELCAL,’’ he said.
Commanders however poohpoohed this claim and said the lapse was being hushed up. ”There is a strict procedure which is followed during a radio communications failure whereby the aircraft should have descended to a holding point. Instead, it flew over Mumbai. Also, every flight has an Expected Time of Arrival (ETA), so why did it not begin its descent even after crossing its ETA?’’ argued a check pilot.