Fatigued Pilots issue Distress Signal on Approach to Munich
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18 June 2012 _ (in German): http://www.wdr2.de/wirtschaft/piloten_arbeitsbedingungen100.html
On 5 May 2012 at 10:15, an aircraft coming from Mallorca received priority landing rights at Munich airport, after its pilots issued a distress signal (pan pan) stating that they were extremely fatigued. The plane – operated by a German airline – landed safely at 10:27. The incident is now further investigated.
The PAN PAN signal is used by pilots when there is a state of urgency. In this case, the crew considered their state of alertness to be at the very limits of what is necessary to ensure a safe landing. Take-offs and landings are crucial parts of the flight. They require high levels of alertness. If, however, the pilots are fatigued – due to long duty hours, night flying, or short rest times – this compromises flight safety.
This incident is a stark reminder that pilot fatigue is a crucial safety issue and that it does exist in Europe’s cockpits. It shows that strict, science-based EU flight time limitation rules are required to ensure passengers can reach their destination safely. Europe cannot afford to wait for an accident to happen!
On 5 May 2012 at 10:15, an aircraft coming from Mallorca received priority landing rights at Munich airport, after its pilots issued a distress signal (pan pan) stating that they were extremely fatigued. The plane – operated by a German airline – landed safely at 10:27. The incident is now further investigated.
The PAN PAN signal is used by pilots when there is a state of urgency. In this case, the crew considered their state of alertness to be at the very limits of what is necessary to ensure a safe landing. Take-offs and landings are crucial parts of the flight. They require high levels of alertness. If, however, the pilots are fatigued – due to long duty hours, night flying, or short rest times – this compromises flight safety.
This incident is a stark reminder that pilot fatigue is a crucial safety issue and that it does exist in Europe’s cockpits. It shows that strict, science-based EU flight time limitation rules are required to ensure passengers can reach their destination safely. Europe cannot afford to wait for an accident to happen!
