PIA pilot sleeps during international flight, leaving trainee to handle aircraft

[Devil Soul]

PIA pilot sleeps during international flight, leaving trainee to handle aircraft
By Tashkeel Ahmed Farooqui
Published: May 7, 2017
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Captain Amir Hashmi has been taken off flight duty, says airlines spokesperson. PHOTO: PIA

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines on Sunday said it has initiated a probe against a senior pilot who slept during an international flight handing over the aircraft to a trainee pilot.

According to reports, a senior PIA pilot was found sleeping in the passenger compartment soon after flight PK-785 took off from Islamabad for London. The pilot reportedly took a two-and-a-half-hour nap while an under-training pilot handled the aircraft.

ECL-listed former PIA CEO flies out

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Photo shows PIA pilot Captain Amir Hasmi sleeping in the passengers compartment.

PIA at first reportedly showed reluctance in taking any step against the influential Captain Amir Hashmi, a former president of Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (PALPA), until the issue was taken up by high-ups in the Aviation Division.

Airline sources told The Express Tribune that on April 26 Hasmi, who was in-charge of operating the London-bound PK-785— carrying over 300 passengers on board, had left the cockpit in control of the under-training first officer Ali Hassan Yazdani for a nap in the business class cabin.

When contacted, the airlines spokesperson Daniyal Gilani confirmed that the said pilot has been taken off flight duty and an investigation into the happening is being conducted by the PIA. He, however, refused to give out any further details in the matter.

PIA likely to suspend Karachi to Mumbai flights: spokesperson

The development has surfaced at a time when a top PIA official, facing serious allegations of corruption, left the country on Saturday after he was given a special exemption by the Interior Ministry to fly abroad for a month even though his name is still on the country’s no-fly list. Bernd Hildenbrand, the suspended CEO of the national flag carrier is under investigation on charges of corruption amounting to billions of rupees. The Federal Investigation Agency is probing the corruption charges against him.

Read more: aviation , Latest , pia

 

[lastofthepatriots]

Well it seems like the pilot felt safe enough with the trainee handling the plane.

 

[Devil Soul]

Well it seems like the pilot felt safe enough with the trainee handling the plane.

Yup and it also show that the Trainee Pilot is experienced enough to handle the plane for few hrs

 

[SHAH820]

PIA pilot sleeps during international flight, leaving trainee to handle aircraft
By Tashkeel Ahmed Farooqui
Published: May 7, 2017
561SHARES
SHARE TWEET EMAIL

Captain Amir Hashmi has been taken off flight duty, says airlines spokesperson. PHOTO: PIA

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines on Sunday said it has initiated a probe against a senior pilot who slept during an international flight handing over the aircraft to a trainee pilot.

According to reports, a senior PIA pilot was found sleeping in the passenger compartment soon after flight PK-785 took off from Islamabad for London. The pilot reportedly took a two-and-a-half-hour nap while an under-training pilot handled the aircraft.

ECL-listed former PIA CEO flies out

ADVERTISEMENT

Photo shows PIA pilot Captain Amir Hasmi sleeping in the passengers compartment.

PIA at first reportedly showed reluctance in taking any step against the influential Captain Amir Hashmi, a former president of Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (PALPA), until the issue was taken up by high-ups in the Aviation Division.

Airline sources told The Express Tribune that on April 26 Hasmi, who was in-charge of operating the London-bound PK-785— carrying over 300 passengers on board, had left the cockpit in control of the under-training first officer Ali Hassan Yazdani for a nap in the business class cabin.

When contacted, the airlines spokesperson Daniyal Gilani confirmed that the said pilot has been taken off flight duty and an investigation into the happening is being conducted by the PIA. He, however, refused to give out any further details in the matter.

PIA likely to suspend Karachi to Mumbai flights: spokesperson

The development has surfaced at a time when a top PIA official, facing serious allegations of corruption, left the country on Saturday after he was given a special exemption by the Interior Ministry to fly abroad for a month even though his name is still on the country’s no-fly list. Bernd Hildenbrand, the suspended CEO of the national flag carrier is under investigation on charges of corruption amounting to billions of rupees. The Federal Investigation Agency is probing the corruption charges against him.

Read more: aviation , Latest , pia

as far as i know there is a thing known as autopilot

 

[Dhara]

As per international standards Pilots can take a nap for 2 to 2:30 hours but here first officer is a trainee, I must say he should have not let first officer alone in charge of passenger jet carrying more then 300 lives.

 

[El Sidd]

I love Pakistan and Pakistaniyat. Its like an unforced smile this article.

 

[Sankpal]

not gud.... risking 300 passengers Life

 

[Viking 63]

Time has finally come to shut this Airline down !

 

[El Sidd]

Time has finally come to shut this Airline down !

Good luck.

It is Pakistan's flagship carrier. Lol

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

I think the new planes have Auto Pilot feature , which enables Pilots to sleep and Pilots only help in last phase of dismount or landing

By the way the backup pilot was still in cabin , a unnecessary drama let the poor guy sleep like our whole government

Why form a joint comission for this poor man , may be he was feeling ill

 

[Soumitra]

Pak Pilot Slept For 2 Hours In Business Class. Flight Had 305 Passengers
A passenger clicked the sleeping pilot and filed a complaint with senior crew member

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The Pakistani pilot has been taken off flying duty and investigation is underway.

A senior pilot, who decided to take a nap during an Islamabad-London flight in April, putting the lives of 305 passengers aboard at risk, has been taken off duty by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Reports reveal that Amir Akhtar Hashmi allegedly slept for two-and-a-half-hours in business class cabin seat after handing over the aircraft to a trainee pilot soon after it took off.

His adventure soon made it to social media after photos of the pilot sleeping like a log were circulated by a passenger, who also filed a complaint against him with a senior crew member.

The Dawn quoted unnamed sources as saying that the PIA was initially reluctant to act against Mr Hashmi, former president of the highly influential Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (PALPA), "but later caved in to pressure from above".

PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani said that Mr Hashmi has been taken off flying duty and investigation is underway.

On April 26, Hashmi was in charge of operating the London-bound flight along with first officer Ali Hassan Yazdani. Another first officer, Mohammad Asad Ali, who was under training, was also in the cockpit, the Dawn said.

Mr Hashmi, an instructor, gets paid over Rs. 100,000 every month to train pilots. He was supposed to train Mr Ali during the flight. "However, instead of performing his duty, Mr Hashmi went for a quick lie-down."

http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pak-...ss-class-flight-had-305-passengers-1690563?fb

 

[Icarus]

A sleepy pilot sleeping is better than a sleepy pilot flying. The autopilot should be enough to keep the plane cruising at altitude and there is also the first officer and trainee pilot available to oversee the flight and sensitize the captain to any situation that might require his attention.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Actually the "Feature" of the new planes is the "Auto Pilot" capabilities which the marketing department of the planes mention in their demonstration and demo material. So if the Pilot was sleeping on long haul flight he was not doing anything extra ordinary

People just made it a story becasue they don't understand the capabilities of the modern Long Haul planes

 

[American Pakistani]

Why only PIA employees are found guilty of these stupidities? Does this airline have any discipline? It's time to bring these national institutions under army monitoring.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Looks like another Bharati assault on posting negative news on Pakistan defence forum

"Our Doost country"


Feature of modern Jets (Long Haul) is the advance AI / Auto pilot which enables pilots to
take few hours of sleep during auto pilot mode