CATCHING ZZZ’s

Pilot Faints in the Cockpit Mid-Flight After Staying Up All Night

The pilot became unwell about 50 minutes into an early morning flight.

A pilot fainted mid-flight after reportedly staying awake all night, according to an official aviation safety report. The 57-year-old captain became unwell about 50 minutes into a 6 a.m. Tarom flight departing from Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport, Romania’s Civil Aviation Safety Investigation and Analysis Authority said in a report that did not specify the date. Despite the incident, the aircraft landed safely in Amsterdam. Before the return leg, the pilot declared himself unfit to fly and handed control to his co-pilot. But nearly an hour into the second flight, he reportedly felt ill again and fainted, forcing the co-pilot to raise an emergency alarm. Medics were waiting when the plane landed back in Bucharest, where all 87 passengers disembarked safely. The aviation body found the pilot had not slept the previous night and was affected by noise and a mosquito-repellent solution, according to Romanian news outlet Informat. Authorities reprimanded him and barred him from evening flights or journeys longer than two hours.