40 winks at 35,000ft: Pilot snoozes at controls of 747 passenger jet (VIDEO)

Published time: 22 Feb, 2019 

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Those with a fear of flying should look away now, as a senior pilot has been filmed by his colleague asleep at the controls of a 747 passenger jet in slightly terrifying recently released footage.

The video appeared online on Wednesday, showing a China Airlines pilot asleep in the cockpit mid-flight, reportedly at the controls of a 747. It is both illegal and extremely dangerous for a pilot to sleep in the cockpit while the plane is airborne and, according to regulations, the co-pilot should have woken his commander instead of filming him snoozing.

The pilot in question has been named as none other than Weng Jiaqi, a senior officer for China Airlines, the national carrier of Taiwan, and one of the chief training officers for the airlines’ 747s, boasting 20 years of experience.  

“It’s not surprising, fatigue is inevitable, but as a senior officer, you should set an example. Second, if you are really too tired, in fact, you can tell crew members with you to observe your condition,” an unnamed China Airlines pilot told EBC News.

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“He knew he was wrong, so he asked for a warning. It wasn’t very serious. So when he administered the simulator exam later, he failed a lot of people. Maybe he wanted to get revenge because he didn’t know who reported him.”

China Airlines has reportedly been fined by authorities, while the pilot who slept and the co-pilot who filmed him have both been reprimanded.

The footage emerged online five days after a strike by over 600 China Airlines pilots, who were protesting overwork and fatigue as a result of poor working conditions at the airline, although the alleged napping incident reportedly took place before the strike.