When I saw the headline “FAA suspends sleeping Hawaiian airline pilots” I thought that it had to be a joke of some kind.

Turns out it wasn’t a joke.

Captain Scott Oltman, 54, and First Officer Dillon Shepley, 24, who prior to being fired worked for Hawaii’s Go airline, have been suspended by the FAA for sleeping on the job and missing a landing at the airport at Hilo, Hawaii by 15 miles.

The National Transportation Safety Board had determined the two pilots fell asleep on the February 13 flight from Honolulu to Hilo, with 40 passengers on board.

After about a dozen attempts air traffic controllers managed to awaken the sleeping pilots and order them to reverse course and land at Hilo International Airport.

The FAA says that the two pilots have completed their suspensions but the FAA spokesperson does not know whether they are flying again with a different carrier.

So…

Next time you board an aircraft you might want to ask for the names of the pilot and first officer and just to be on the safe side, encourage your fellow passengers to make a lot of noise…