FAA Investigating Whether Airline Pilots Fell Asleep During Go! Flight

By Aaron Poehler

Published on February 21, 2008

Go! Flight 1002 from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii, left as scheduled around 9 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time on the date of the incident, but the scheduled 30-minute flight unexpectedly went awry when the plane drifted off course, overshooting its intended destination by over 15 miles. Air traffic controllers were unable to communicate with either the pilot or the co-pilot during this time, but the plane eventually turned around and landed safely, if later than expected.

Go! Airlines was launched in 2006 by parent company Mesa Air Group as a discount carrier providing air service between the Hawaiian islands. A spokesman for Mesa says the company is cooperating fully with the FAA’s investigation and will comply with any requests made by investigators. Ian Gregor, spokesman for the FAA’s Western-Pacific Region, stated that radar tracks and cockpit audio recordings will be studied and that witnesses, air traffic controllers, and the pilots will be interviewed in order to determine whether the pilots were sleeping at the time of the incident.

If the pilots are found to have been sleeping on the job, they could face FAA penalties including possible revocation or suspension of their pilot’s licenses.

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