Pilots Fell Asleep As Plane Descended, Missed Landing: Report

Two pilots reportedly fell asleep as the plane they were flying descended, which caused them to miss their landing earlier this week, according to a report by the Aviation Herald, a commercial aviation news site, via CNN.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane was traveling from Khartoum to Addis Ababa when the "pilots fell asleep" as "the aircraft continued past the top of descent" on Monday (August 15), according to the report.

Data obtained by the Aviation Herald showed that the plane was flying on autopilot at 37,000 feet when it missed its landing at Addis Ababa Bole.

Air traffic control was reportedly unable to communicate with the crew after several attempts, but an alarm was triggered after the plane overshot the runway and the aircraft rerouted before safely landing at the airport about 25 minutes later.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) details the flight pattern, which shows the plane overfly the runway while descending before changing its direction.

"We have received a report which indicates Ethiopian flight number ET343 en route from Khartoum to Addis Ababa temporarily lost communication with Addis Ababa Air Traffic Control on 15 August 2022," Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement obtained by CNN on Friday. "The flight later landed safely after communication was restored. The concerned crew have been removed from operation pending further investigation. 

"Appropriate corrective action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation. Safety has always been and will continue to be our first priority," the statement added.