(Image source: Calgary Herald / National Post )

 

BY STEVEN SPARKMAN

 

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a planet? A new government report shows last year’s Air Canada flight 878 fell victim to the scourge of the airways — pilot fatigue. HLN has the incredible story .

 

“A disoriented pilot mistook the planet Venus for another plane, so he sent his plane into a violent dive!”

 

The panicked pilot had been napping — which they’re allowed to do in certain circumstances. When he woke up, he was groggy, saw the bright object in the sky, and took evasive action. ABC’s Good Morning America says the passengers got a wild ride.

 

“A terrifying 46-second drop would injure 16 people and damage the inside of the plane. You can see it there. The report does note that all of those injured failed to comply with the seatbelt warning.”

 

To be fair to the Air Canada pilot, instruments did show a military cargo plane directly in front of his Boeing 767.
But it was 1000 feet below and the other pilot was already aware of it. The National Post says this report fuels an already intense debate over air safety regulations.

 

“Pilot fatigue ... has dogged Transport Canada for years, and safety advocates seized on the report to press Canada to update its ‘significantly deficient’ flight and duty times regulations that take into account people’s circadian rhythm and address time-of-day sensitivities.”

 

A pilots association spokesperson says the report shows the need for a third pilot on eastbound transatlantic flights, since those flights wreak the most havoc on pilot fatigue. But the company responded by saying they already have systems in place, telling the Wall Street Journal :

 

“...the company had already taken steps to address the fatigue issues. Pilots who feel they are too tired to fly have to report it, and a non-punitive system allows them to withdraw from assignments.”

 

The government report didn’t make any specific recommendations on how to address the issue. In the meantime, CNN adds , there’s a message for passengers in this story.

 

“It also gives credence to the warning you often hear -- but might ignore -- that passengers should wear their safety belts at all times when seated.”