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The captain of an ITA A-330 has been fired by the Italian state-carrier for allegedly falling asleep at the controls of his aircraft during a flight from New York to Rome. 

Marseille ATC was unable to contact the Airbus, designated flight AZ609, for an unknown period of time, however, the pilots on board the ITA jet eventually did report before continuing on to Rome without incident. The captain subsequently stated that the radio connection was interrupted due to a technical issue, but ITA refuted the claim after an examination of the aircraft. Flight data showed that flight AZ609 did not lose altitude or deviate from course during the NORDO interval. 

A post-incident investigation conducted by ITA determined that the behavior of the captain was not in line with the company’s conduct expectations, and that there were inconsistencies between the captain’s account and flight-data indicators. However, the airline did not confirm that the pilot fell asleep. Nevertheless, the carrier dismissed the pilot, stating the relationship of trust between it and the aviator had been irreparably damaged. There are no known disciplinary proceedings against the SIC, who, according to ITA, had informed about his sleep break in accordance with regulation. 

Controlled rest rules dictate that one of two pilots may take some sleep in the cockpit while the aircraft is cruising on a long-haul flights, Pilots must coordinate their rest time beforehand, and cabin crew are to be informed that one pilot is at liberty. 

ITA superseded defunct Italian flag-carrier Alitalia in October 2021, thereby ending the latter’s 74-year business history of successive financial crises.

FMI: https://www.ita-airways.com, www.faa.gov