Indonesia: Investigation Reveals That Two Pilots Fell Asleep for 30 Minutes on Flight from Sulawesi to Jakarta With 153 People Onboard

Jakarta, March 10: According to a report by the Guardian, two Batik Air pilots from Indonesia shockingly slept out during a thirty-minute flight with passengers inside. For around twenty-eight minutes, the pilot and co-pilot napped simultaneously. According to the National Transportation Safety Committee's (KNKT) preliminary investigation, the Batik Air aircraft on January 25 was on its way from South East Sulawesi to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

The 153 passengers on board the Airbus A320 and the four flight attendants did not sustain any injuries throughout the two-hour and thirty-five-minute flight, despite many navigational mistakes throughout the journey. Plain Misses Destination in Australia by 50 km as Pilot Falls Asleep in Cockpit.

M Kristi Endah Murni, the director general of civil aviation for the Transport Ministry, said that the ministry "strongly reprimands" Batik Air for the event and asked carriers to be more considerate of their aircrew's rest time. The government is also starting a probe in the matter. The report states that earlier in the day, the co-pilot was informed by the second-in-command pilot that he had not had "proper rest." About ninety minutes after departure, the captain asked his second-in-command if he might take a quick break. The request was granted. According to the inquiry, the co-pilot inadvertently fell asleep too after he took over piloting the plane.

Twelve minutes after the co-pilot's last known message, the Jakarta Area Control Centre (ACC) tried to get in touch with the aircraft, but the pilots did not reply, the ACC said. The pilot-in-command noticed the aircraft was not on the correct flight route when he woke asleep, some 28 minutes after the previous message was logged. The report states that he then answered the ACC and roused the second-in-command. The pilot-in-command notified the air traffic controller (ACC) of a "radio communication problem" that occurred during the flight, but it was resolved. Ethiopian Airlines Pilots Fell Asleep As Flight From Sudan Missed Landing in Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

The report did not provide the pilots' identities. Still, it did identify the pilot-in-command as a 32-year-old male Indonesian and the second-in-command as a 28-year-old male Indonesian. BTK6723 made a safe landing, and no casualties were recorded. The flight crews have also been grounded till additional investigation is completed in accordance with normal operating practice. In a statement, Batik Air stated that it "committed to implement all safety recommendations" and "operates with adequate rest policy". The pilots have been suspended, it continued.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2024 04:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).