Mesa Air Group fires two go pilots in sleeping incident

Mesa Air Group has fired two go pilots under investigation for possibly falling asleep during a Hawaii interisland flight in February.

"After a thorough internal investigation into the incident on Feb. 13 in which go Flight 1002 overflew the airport at Hilo, Mesa has terminated the employment of both pilots involved," the company said Wednesday in a statement.

On the 50-minute flight from Honolulu, the airplane overshot the Hilo airport by 15 miles before returning and landing safely.

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Air traffic controllers were unable to contact the pilots during that time and made repeated efforts to reach them by radio.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Los Angeles said the FAA's own investigation would be completed in a few weeks.

Generally, FAA sanctions in such cases can range from a warning letter to suspension of the pilots' licenses.

Phoenix-based Mesa (Nasdaq: MESA) has operated go in Hawaii since June 2006.