Hidden danger in cockpit surfaces as 3 in 4 pilots report 'microsleep' episodes

A hidden problem is surfacing regarding certain pilots' behavior.

More than three in four pilots reported having at least one "microsleep" while operating an aircraft in recent weeks, according to a report by aviation consultancy Baines Simmons based on responses from 7,200 pilots across 32 European countries.

The findings were published by the European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents over 44,000 pilots across Europe, according to a press release.

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The concerns extend beyond brief episodes of sleep in the cockpit. Nearly 39% of pilots said they usually or always did not get enough rest to keep fatigue from building up, according to the report.

The findings also raised questions about whether pilots feel comfortable reporting when they are too tired to fly.

Only 37.2% said they typically report when they are too fatigued to fly, while 24.2% said they do not report it and fly anyway, according to the findings. 

"When pilots fear career consequences, fatigue goes unreported, and the risk returns to the cockpit," Capt. Coen George, an ECA board director, said in the press release.

He warned that the reluctance to speak up could leave airlines unaware of how widespread fatigue is among their crews.

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented stricter pilot rest and duty requirements in 2012 to address fatigue and improve safety, the agency said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Under the rules, pilots must receive at least 10 consecutive hours of rest before a flight duty period, including an opportunity for eight uninterrupted hours of sleep. Pilots who feel fatigued or unfit to fly must report it and be removed from duty by the airline, according to the FAA.

Pilot fatigue can be particularly challenging when crews work overnight or travel across multiple time zones.

Matthew "Whiz" Buckley, a former U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter pilot who later flew for American Airlines and FedEx, previously told Fox News Digital that having scheduled time off does not necessarily mean a pilot gets enough sleep.

"It's just unnatural to sleep during off-hours," Buckley said.

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Pilots may arrive at a hotel early in the morning and then have to sleep during the day, while long-haul flights can further disrupt normal sleep patterns, Buckley said.

"Where it really takes a toll on the body for pilots is east-west," he said. "When you're crossing multiple time zones, [that's] when your body can really get messed up."

Buckley also emphasized that pilots ultimately have to assess whether they're rested enough to safely operate an aircraft.

"At the end of the day ... you know who determines if a pilot is fit to fly? You," Buckley said.

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Having nearly "77% of respondents [in the new survey] say that they reported micro-sleeping or dozing off while at work is definitely an alarming number, and the industry does need to take note of this," Bobby Laurie, a Pennsylvania-based travel expert and former flight attendant, told Fox News Digital. 

"But it's not necessarily a warning sign that the flight that you've been on had a pilot or both pilots asleep."

He said that while there are things the industry can do to "rectify this problem," travelers, too, should take note of a few things. 

"If you find yourself at the airport, and the departure board is saying you're delayed due to crew rest … you need to realize that the delay is posted for safety reasons. You might not have gotten to your destination in one piece if those crew members did not get the rest they needed," he said. 

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Fox News Digital previously reported that rest requirements for flight attendants have faced scrutiny in the U.S.

The FAA recently proposed a nationwide rule that would prevent state and local governments from setting separate meal and rest-break requirements for flight attendants and pilots.

Major flight attendant unions opposed the proposal, arguing that some crew members already work for hours without enough opportunities to eat, drink or use the restroom.

Fox News Digital reached out to Baines Simmons and Flight Safety Foundation for comment.