When the plane was 37,000 feet above sea level, two of the pilots flying it from Sudan to Ethiopia fell asleep and missed their landing. According to The Aviation Herald, the incident took place on Monday (August 15), and the pilots successfully landed the plane safely without any casualties being reported. A Boeing 737 flight, flight ET-343, was slated to touch down at the Addis Abeba airport. According to the Herald report, the aircraft kept flying after reaching the apex of its drop and continued along the path that the Flight Management Computer (FMC) had predetermined. While the pilots were dozing off, the flight was in autopilot mode and failed to descend. The Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) made many attempts to get in touch with them but were unsuccessful. The autopilot became disconnected when the plane crossed the runway, sounding an alarm. The pilots were finally awakened by this sound. After flying over the runway for about 25 minutes, they rapidly manoeuvred the plane and made a safe landing.

Key Points

• When the plane was 37,000 feet above sea level, two of the pilots flying it from Sudan to Ethiopia fell asleep and missed their landing.

• The pilots were finally awakened by this sound. After flying over the runway for about 25 minutes, they rapidly manoeuvred the plane and made a safe landing.