AUSTRALIA — A small plane missed its landing in Australia by about 30 miles or so because the pilot was sleeping in the cockpit. <br />According to the BBC, Maverick was the only person on the freight flight from Devonport to King Island in Tasmania on November 8.<br />Apparently, the Vortex Air Piper PA-31 plane was set to finish a 150 mile trip and touch down at 7:15 local time. <br />With some time to kill, the pilot set the aircraft on autopilot, and according to a Vortex Air statement, "unintentionally fell asleep while in command of the aircraft."<br />"The issue became apparent when air traffic control was unable to contact the pilot in-flight and the aircraft traveled past the intended destination point," the statement said. <br />According to The Australian newspaper, air traffic control made several radio calls to pilot while he was counting sheep. <br />Goose eventually woke up and turned the plane around to land safely on King Island. <br />Looks like the pilot had almost no sleep the night before due to a personal crisis. <br />According to the AP, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority are investigating the incident.
