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Pilots Slept During Flight

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The Associated Press

Published: September 25, 2008

HONOLULU - Two pilots for Hawaii's Go airlines who slept through their flight's landing procedure were suspended for the careless and reckless operation of an aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday.

The pilots, who have been fired by Go, completed their suspensions Sept. 9, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. He did not know whether they are flying with a different carrier.
Captain Scott Oltman, 54, who was also cited for failing to maintain radio communications, had his license suspended for 60 days. First Officer Dillon Shepley, 24, was suspended for 45 days.

Gregor said no action was taken against Go because it did nothing wrong and provided the pilots with a 15-hour break before their shift, nearly double what the FAA requires.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the pilots fell asleep Feb. 13 on a Honolulu to Hilo flight.
Oltman was later diagnosed with a severe obstructive sleep apnea. It causes people to stop breathing repeatedly, preventing a restful night of sleep.

However, it was still unclear how both pilots fell asleep on the brief midmorning flight that carried 40 passengers.

The pilots failed to respond to nearly a dozen calls from air traffic controllers over a span of 17 minutes.

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