Pilots fired for sleeping during flight

Two pilots, who slept through landing procedures during their flight on Hawaii’s Go airline, were fired for their negligence and recklessness in operating the aircraft, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday.

The captain and first officer, who were suspended earlier during the investigation into the incident, completed their suspension period on September 9, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor noted. The spokesman said he wasn’t aware whether or not the pilots were working for another airline.

Captain Scott Oltman had his license suspended for a 60 day period, and was also cited for a failure to maintain radio communications. First Officer Dillon Shepley’s suspension was for 45 days.

The FAA spokesman confirmed that no action had been taken against the airline, because it was not in violation of any regulations, and in fact provided 15 hour breaks for the pilots before their shifts, which is nearly twice the break length required by the aviation authority.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the pilots fell asleep during the flight from Honolulu to Hilo on February 13.

It was found during a medical exam that Oltman suffered from a severe form of obstructive sleep apnea, which prevents him from having restful sleep.

The investigation has not determined why both of the flight’s pilots fell asleep during the short mid-morning flight. The plane had 40 passengers on board.

An examination of the plane’s pressurization system did not turn up any problems, nor were high levels of carbon monoxide detected.

Nearly a dozen calls from air traffic controllers over a 17 minute period failed to elicit a response from the pilots.

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