Japanese Transport Ministry inspector pax not amused

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has admitted that one of their captains dozed off twice while on a domestic flight. The airline issued an apology on Friday after the pilot was caught napping with 184 passengers aboard. The pilot has since been suspended and is scheduled to undergo medical tests.

The investigation revealed that the pilot fell asleep about 20 minutes after taking off in the Boeing 767-300, soon after levelling off at FL360.

Unfortunately for the captain, an examiner from the Japan Transportation Ministry was aboard, and decided to check on the cockpit. Finding the captain asleep, he tapped the first officer on the shoulder, who then proceeded to yell at the captain, waking him.

The captain then proceeded to fall asleep a second time a few minutes later for about two or three minutes, with the examiner still in the cockpit.

When questioned by airline management, the captain said he got seven hours of sleep the night before the flight. He had also gone through a medical five days prior to the incident, and did not report any sleeping problems at that time.

"The sun was coming in from the front, and I nodded off," he reportedly told the airline, according to the BBC.

FMI: www.fly-ana.com