The reason for the plane’s loss is revealed.
According to foreign media reports, the incident took place on April 30 on Alitalia Airlines (ITA Airways) flight AZ609. The plane was carrying 250 passengers and was about to fly from New York’s JFK International Airport to Rome Fiumicino International Airport in Italy. However, during the flight, the crew suddenly lost contact with the authorities for up to 10 minutes.
In the mistaken belief that a hijacking had taken place, authorities sent two fighter jets up to intercept the flight and ascertain the situation. However, after 10 minutes of attempts using satellite phones, communication was finally restored and authorities discovered that the reason for the loss of contact was that the captain and co-pilot had fallen asleep at the same time.
After an internal investigation, the co-pilot was given a controlled break at the moment of the loss of contact, while the captain fell asleep on autopilot. Following the incident, the captain was also officially dismissed by the airline for not following company rules and not strictly adhering to work rules.
