Both pilots on a Batik Air flight from Kendari to Jakarta, which are about 2 hours and 30 minutes apart, fell asleep for 28 minutes while in control of the aircraft.
By: Yu Le
Published on: 12 March 2024, 10.07am (GMT +8)
The pilots were in command of flight ID6723, which is operated by an A320. Photo: International Flight Network
Earlier this year on 25 January, two Batik Air pilots on flight ID6723 from Kendari Haluoleo Airport (KDI/WAWW) to Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK/WIII) were sleeping simultaneously in the cockpit for approximately 28 minutes, ignoring all air traffic controllers' instructions. Due to this, several navigational errors occurred, but fortunately, the A320-200 touched down safely in Jakarta at around 9.40 a.m. local time, and no passengers were injured . Batik Air now faces a probe by the Indonesian Transport Ministry in light of this serious safety lapse, in a country notorious for its poor aviation safety record.
While enroute from Kendari to the Indonesian capital at 36000ft, the captain wanted to take a rest and subsequently fell asleep, handing over controls to the first officer. The captain then woke up a while later, asking if the first officer wanted to sleep. The first officer declined the offer. However, the weary first officer unintentionally fell asleep just 20 minutes later. Air traffic controllers in the area attempted to contact the aircraft a few minutes after the last transmission, but received no reply.
After about 28 minutes, the captain eventually woke up from his snooze, and noticing the first officer was asleep as well, he hurriedly woke him up. ATC was contacted by the flight crew, being advised that they had a “radio problem”. At that point, the plane had deviated far from their planned flight path, and ATC set them back on course. The aircraft landed safely at Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport's runway 26.
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