Oz pilot flies plane unconscious for 40 mins

Canberra: A trainee pilot flew unconscious for about 40 minutes through controlled airspace above Adelaide airport in Australia after he skipped breakfast on the morning of the flight. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its report into the “serious incident”, which took place on March 9 and involved an aircraft from flight school Flight Training Adelaide. The ATSB said that the trainee pilot hadn’t slept much the night before the flight and had only consumed a chocolate bar, an energy drink and some water. He was flying a solo navigation flight from Port Augusta Airport in South Australia to Parafield Airport outside Adelaide when the incident happened. “Prior to the flight, the pilot had suffered from a restless night of sleep and was recovering from a mild cold,” the ATSB stated.