Air New Zealand pilot 'fell into deep sleep' during flight

An Air New Zealand pilot fell asleep during a flight between London and Los Angeles, the airline has said.

Air New Zealand said the pilot of the Boeing 777 reported falling asleep twice as he flew the plane across the Atlantic in 2011.

The BBC reports that the airline said safety had not been compromised as the pilot was not alone at the cockpit's flight deck at the time.

In his 'fatigue report' the pilot said he fell into a deep sleep without warning.

According to Stuff.co.nz he did the same again later and decided to take an additional rest in his bunk.

Afterwards he was able to continue the journey to Los Angeles without incident.

The pilot, who is not named, blamed exhaustion resulting from bad sleep and delays. He said he had moved rooms three times in two days in London following problems with the air-conditioning in his room.

A 50-minute delay in London and a long time taxiing were also to blame.

A spokeswoman for Air New Zealand said there were three pilots on board the flight.

'During the cruise phase of the flight, one of the two operating pilots nodded off twice for around a minute and woke spontaneously.' she said.

'The other operating pilot on the flight deck was aware of this, and safety was not compromised at any point.'

The pilot will not face any disciplinary action as Air New Zealand does not wish to discourage pilots from reporting incidents of fatigue.

A number of countries allow monitored controlled rest periods for crews in the cockpit providing these are co-ordinated between pilots.

Last year, research by the European Cockpit Association found that 43 to 54 per cent of pilots fall asleep 'involuntary' while flying.

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