A CREW member put scores of passengers' lives at risk when she allegedly fell asleep on a flight to Durham Tees Valley Airport, a tribunal heard.

Senior attendant Vanessa Redmond, who had key security tasks to perform, is taking an unfair dismissal case against budget airline Ryanair.

Ms Redmond, who was head of cabin crew, denies sleeping during the flight, which was carrying 82 passengers from Dublin to Teesside, on May 19 last year.

It is alleged she blocked off the front row of the plane, sat down in the row and began reading a "fiction-type" book before falling asleep.

Two junior crew members on the flight also claimed Ms Redmond, from Dublin, failed to carry out a final cabin safety check and delegated a critical security task.

Ryanair personnel manager Darrell Hughes said major air accidents were always a result of a chain of events.

"This could easily have been one of those links in that chain," he told an employment appeals tribunal.

Ms Redmond was told of the accusations against her on May 26, last year, after a complaint from a passenger, who was also the husband of a Ryanair employee.

Disciplinary procedures followed, and Ms Redmond was informed of the outcome on June 30. However, she continued to work until a letter informing her of her dismissal was issued on July 4.

Dermot O'Loughlin, of the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, suggested Ryanair bosses were negligent in allowing the claimant to continue working if they believed her to be guilty of gross misconduct.

"I wouldn't say negligent. I would call it an oversight," said Mr Hughes.

The personnel manager testified he had no diary and kept no written notes from which he could refer to the entire disciplinary process.

While accepting he was ultimately responsible for the personnel matter, he admitted he had not spoken to the original complainant or the two junior cabin crew who made allegations.

He said it was clear there were imperfections in procedures leading to the dismissal but, in the whole, it was fair.

The Dublin hearing was adjourned until October 16.