Half of Swedish pilots fall asleep in the cockpit
Published: 19 Oct 11 10:20 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/36834/20111019/
More than half the pilots in the Swedish Airline Pilots' Association (Svensk pilotförening, SPF) admit to having fallen asleep during flights, according to a new independent study.
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In addition, 80 percent of Swedish pilots reported that existing work hour rules "constitute a threat to flight safety".
According to current EU regulations, a pilot is allowed to work shifts as lengthy as 13 hours, sometimes with two additional hours of overtime.
"These results are alarming and we're naturally very concerned," said Mattias Kling, coordinator for work hour issues at the SPF.
"We can't accept that half the pilots have fallen asleep in the cockpit."
And despite the alarming study, there’s a proposition to extend allowed the length of pilot shifts to 16 hours.
“A pilot on duty also needs to get to the airport which often takes time. Then add to that 16 hours of continuous work. Is it safe to fly with that pilot?” Kling told TT.
Kling doesn’t want to comment on the risk this poses to passengers, but he’s not happy with current regulations, and pilots now demand that these be based on scientific findings.
“If you don’t have scientific facts you need to practice the precautionary principle,” Kling said.
“You have to be certain what the rules you impose mean. That’s the message we want to get across.”
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That said, just how serious is this in a normal commercial long haul flight. The flight crew will have dialled in the auto-pilot data after which point they are passengers like the rest of us. The plane will continue to fly on that course until either the crew switch auto-pilot off or the airframe runs out of fuel.
There are sufficient alarms to wake them up in the event of an emergency. Some pilots say there are too many alarms to go off in the cockpit. Several major air disasters have been occasioned by cognitive overload of the pilots as they can't prioritorise the alarms sensibly.
Having human crew seemingly in control (that is seen to be awake) is a sop to the passengers. We believe that a human needs to be in control and gives a false sense of safety. Personally I would rather have a pilot awake in control of the dangerous portions of the flight , i.e. take off and landing, than force them to remain awake just for form's sake. Have them fresh and alert when it truly matters.
However what is disturbing is the high number of Swedish Politian's that fall asleep while on the job.
With any luck at all one of these days I'll buy a ticket to London and end up somewhere on the Med..
Truck drivers from the continent pushing their hours, falling asleep at the wheel are a far greater hazard.
Too damn right! And not just "from the continent" local truck drivers are as guilty off working (being forced to work) long hours beyond what is safe for them and for us.
i blame both
We should blame ourselves too for that mistaken belief we are safer because wewant a human being in the cockpit awake at all times.g
Most jets fly with at least 2 pilots, some 3, 50% asleep leaves 1 or 2 awake - thus no news story. :)
The pilots unions of the legacy carriers like SAS BA etc always want to fly less hours so that the Airlines will have to employ more pilots which mean more members for the unions. In my 45 years in the business, I have seen it again and again.
If pilots falling a sleep as a result of having to work too hard and long was such a big issue, this would be reflected in accident statistics.
These overpaid pilots just want work even less hours for their money. The average longhaul pilot spends 3½ hours per year acutally flying hands-on, the rest of the time the aircraft is on autopilot. No wonder they have plenty of time to take naps.