Pilot fatigue was to blame for a passenger plane going into a nose dive over the Atlantic, injuring 16 people onboard, according to Canadian authorities.
The co-pilot of the Air Canada flight from Toronto to Zurich plunged the aircraft 120metres after he mistook the planet Venus for another aircraft. The report said he’d just woken from a 75-minute nap and he was disoriented.
Passengers and crew who were not wearing seatbelts hit their heads on the ceiling during the 46-second dive, sustaining minor injuries.
Altogether, 14 passengers and two crew were taken to hospital when the aircraft landed in Zurich.
The incident has led to a call from the Canada Pilots Association for a third pilot to be mandatory on overnight flights.
By Linsey McNeill
