Pilot falls asleep while flying plane

A commercial pilot is under investigation after falling asleep in the cockpit of a freight plane and overflying his Australian island destination by 29 miles.

The pilot, who has not been identified, was the only person aboard the twinpropeller Piper PA31 Navajo Chieftain. He was flying on autopilot during the early morning flight on 8 November from Devonport city on Tasmania 155 miles northwest to King Island in Bass Strait, his employer, Vortex Air, said in a statement.

The pilot “unintentionally fell asleep while in command of the aircraft”, the Melbournebased airline added.