Three pilots fell asleep on packed transatlantic flight

Three pilots have admitted to falling asleep at the same time during a transatlantic flight to Heathrow.

A British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) dossier revealed how one pilot on another flight even woke up alone in the cockpit after his co-pilot fell asleep in the toilet.

The Daily Mail reports that another confessed to landing a plane at Heathrow "with possible fatal consequences" because he and his colleague were "punch-drunk with tiredness."

The shocking cases were released in a bid to urge the Government to stop the changes to working hours imposed by the EU.

New rules from Brussels allow pilots to land planes after being awake for 22 hours.

A recent survey by BALPA revealed that more than half of British pilots (56 per cent) have fallen asleep on the flight deck.

According to the Daily Telegraph, one pilot said he had the "feeling of being unable to keep my eyes open on at least five occasions" while flying a plane.

The BALPA dossier adds that pilots didn't always report cases "for fear of reprisal".

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