Pilots may have slept past stop
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HONOLULU — A Go! airliner overshot Hilo International Airport by 15 miles last week, and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether the pilots were sleeping.
“We’re investigating whether the pilot and co-pilot of a Feb. 13 Go! Airlines flight fell asleep while the plane was in the air between Honolulu and Hilo,” FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Midmorning Flight 1002 drifted off course during the 214-mile trip and had to turn back to get to the airport on the Big Island. The flight landed safely.
Air traffic controllers tracking the plane by radar were unable to contact the cockpit for 25 minutes, according to a report by KGMB-TV.
Mesa Air Group, the parent company of Go!, is cooperating fully with the FAA, said Paul Skellon, vice president of communications. He said the company would not comment further until the probe was over.
If the pilots did fall asleep while the plane was on autopilot, violating FAA rules, penalties could range from a warning letter to license suspension or revocation.
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