On January 25, FOX News reported that aviation authorities have launched an investigation into an Indonesian airline after two pilots allegedly took a 28-minute nap during a flight.
Indonesian authorities have charged Batik Air Indonesia's 32-year-old captain and 28-year-old co-pilot with negligence for deviating from the flight path after reportedly falling asleep in the cockpit. according to On Fox News. The incident occurred on a scheduled flight from southeast Sulawesi to Jakarta, Indonesia. The flight, carrying 159 passengers, veered off course during the two-and-a-half hour flight after two pilots reportedly fell asleep during the flight.
Indonesian aviation authorities will review how the country's airlines operate night flights after two pilots on a Batik Air flight carrying 153 passengers fell asleep, causing the plane to briefly veer off course. announced.https://t.co/BLIkbn9cXa
— New York Times (@nytimes) March 10, 2024
When the plane reached a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, the captain requested a break, NBC News said in a statement. report. After resting, I asked my co-pilot to take a rest, but he refused. After a short discussion, the captain returned to rest and handed control of the aircraft to his co-pilot. (Related: 'Unruly' and 'drunken' passenger causes emergency landing, banned from major airline)
During the captain's nap, the co-pilot received permission to reroute the plane to avoid bad weather and instructed him to notify air traffic control once the weather problem had been avoided, NBC News reported. The co-pilot reportedly fell asleep after the aircraft changed course.
The situation came to light when the captain woke up after an hour-long nap to find the plane had deviated from its intended course and the co-pilot was also asleep, according to Fox News. reported. Efforts by air traffic controllers to contact the crew of BTK6723 during this revocation reportedly went unanswered. The captain managed to make adjustments to the aircraft and the plane was able to land safely in Jakarta with all passengers unharmed.
Further investigation into the incident revealed that the co-pilot was experiencing sleep disturbances due to caring for newborn twins at home. According to FOX News, following the incident, Batik Air temporarily suspended the pilot involved, and Indonesia's Ministry of Transport severely reprimanded the airline.
