An alarm was sounded by the French authorities on the night between April 30 and May 1, when Ita Airways flight AZ609 from New York to Rome did not communicate with a control tower as it passed over the country.
When the flight reached over the south of France, the Marseille radar center tried to contact the aircraft, but received no response for at least 10 minutes.
The development brought the mobilization of two French fighters under the fear of terrorist action to accompany the aircraft just in case.
Alarm termination
After a while, there was a response from the aircraft, resulting in the withdrawal of the alarm.
The flight arrived normally in Rome, with the passengers not noticing anything unusual, and in fact without delay.
Ita reportedly launched an investigation into the incident, during which the governor claimed that there was a malfunction in the communication systems. However, according to the controls carried out on the aircraft, the system was operating normally, while on the contrary it seems that for a short period of time both pilots were asleep and the aircraft was flying with the autopilot.
As is usual on these routes, one of the two pilots can sleep for a few minutes and just before the descent to the destination begins, as long as the other pilot stays awake.
According to the Italian company, the "strong inconsistencies between the pilot's statements and the result of the internal investigations" led to the dismissal of the pilot of the aircraft, since the "relationship of trust in the workplace" was affected.
in.gr