Current:Home > NewsTwo pilots fall asleep mid-flight with more than 150 on board 36,000 feet in the air -TradeWisdom
Two pilots fall asleep mid-flight with more than 150 on board 36,000 feet in the air
View
Date:2025-04-16 08:27:30
Two pilots of an Indonesian airline have come under fire after an incident report revealed they both fell asleep during a January flight with more than 150 people on board. The pilots were unreachable for roughly half an hour, waking to find that the plane had veered off course, the report said.
The incident occurred on a roundtrip Batik Air Indonesia flight between Halu Oleo Airport in Kendari and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta on January 25. During preparation for the first leg of the flight from Jakarta to Kendari, the second-in-command pilot – a 28-year-old with roughly 1,600 hours of flying time – told the pilot in command that he did not have proper rest, according to a report by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee. The commanding pilot, a 32-year-old with roughly 6,300 hours of flying time, allowed the secondary to rest during that leg of the trip for about half an hour.
On the flight back to Jakarta, which had 153 passengers and four flight attendants on board, the commanding pilot asked the secondary – who napped during the first leg – if he could take a turn to rest, which was granted. A little while later, the pilot woke up and asked the other pilot if they wanted to nap, which they declined.
About 20 minutes later, the incident report states the second pilot "inadvertently fell asleep" as they were roughly 36,000 feet in the air.
Air traffic controllers and other pilots attempted to get in contact with the napping pilots to no avail. Then 28 minutes after the last recorded transmission, the commanding pilot woke up and was immediately "aware that the aircraft was not in the correct flight path."
"The PIC [pilot in command] then saw the SIC [second in command] was sleeping and woke him up," the report says. "About the same time, the PIC responded to the call from another pilot and Jakarta ACC. The PIC advised the Jakarta ACC that BTK6723 experienced radio communication problem and currently the problem has been resolved. The flight then continued and landed at Jakarta uneventfully."
Investigators said nobody was injured and the aircraft was not damaged.
While the unnamed primary pilot on the flights had a rest period of 35 hours prior to the incident that involved exercise, visiting family and exercise, the secondary pilot on the flights, who was not named in the report, had 53 hours of rest time.
According to the report, the secondary pilot is also a new father with month-old twins who, two days before the flight, moved houses. He told investigators that the day before the flight, he "had to wake up several times" to help care for his children and that he "felt his sleep quality had degraded" in the process.
Batik Air said Saturday that the two pilots have been suspended, according to AFP.
The Safety Board has recommended measures to prevent such incidents from happening again. One of those recommendations is further development of Batik Air Indonesia's personal checklist for pilots, which is meant for pilots to check themselves for illness, impairing medications, stress, alcohol, fatigue and their emotional state before flying.
"The absence of detailed guidance and procedure might have made pilots unable to assess their physical and mental condition properly," the incident report says. "Therefore, KNKT recommends Batik Air Indonesia to develop detailed guidance and procedure for ensuring that the IM SAFE personal checklist can be used to assess pilot physical and mental condition properly."
The cockpit of the plane is also supposed to be checked every half-hour, but the investigation found that there was an "absence of detailed procedures" that "might have made the cockpit check policy unable to be implemented properly."
The airline said it "operates with adequate rest policy," according to AFP, and that it is "committed to implement all safety recommendations."
- In:
- Indonesia
- Airlines
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (9)
prev:Intellectuals vs. The Internet
next:Small twin
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- The First Teaser for Vanderpump Villa Is Chic—and Dramatic—as Hell
- What to know about keeping children safe — and warm — in the car during the winter
- Man shoots woman and police officers in Hawaii before being killed in New Year’s Day shootout
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Rescuers race against time in search for survivors in Japan after powerful quakes leave 62 dead
- The Bachelorette's Bryan Abasolo Files for Divorce From Rachel Lindsay After 4 Years of Marriage
- Holiday week swatting incidents target and disrupt members of Congress
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- State tax cutting trend faces headwinds from declining revenues and tighter budgets
Ranking
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- RHOSLC's Season Finale Reveals a Secret So Shocking Your Jaw Will Drop
- Last major homeless encampment cleared despite protest in Maine’s largest city
- Horoscopes Today, January 1, 2024
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism claims, backlash from antisemitism testimony
- Why Michigan expected Alabama's play-call on last snap of Rose Bowl
- $39 Lululemon Leggings, 70% off Spanx Leggings & More Activewear Finds To Reach Your 2024 Fitness Goals
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
California begins 2024 with below-normal snowpack a year after one of the best starts in decades
Missed the 2024 Times Square ball drop and New Year's Eve celebration? Watch the highlights here
New Year’s Day quake in Japan revives the trauma of 2011 triple disasters
Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
Coach-to-player comms, sideline tablets tested in bowl games, but some schools decided to hold off
Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid controversy
Things to know about Minnesota’s new, non-racist state flag and seal