Pilot and co-pilot fall asleep allowing passenger plane to run hugely off-course
Two pilots fell asleep and allowed the commercial plane they were flying to veer off course.
The Batik Air plane in Indonesia went off track after both the pilot and the co-pilot fell asleep for nearly half an hour. The aviators have been suspended following the incident, which could have ended in disaster for the 153 passengers on board.
Although modern aircraft have automated systems onboard which carry out many of the flying functions, it is vital that pilots are on hand to make sure that planes keep to their correct flightpath. If they veer away from approved routes, they risk colliding with other jets.
The plane was flying from South East Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta when the incident occurred in January this year, Jakarta Globe reported. One of the pilots did not get sufficient rest the night before the flight due to attending to his twin babies, a National Transportation Safety Committee investigation found.
Both pilots on the flight fell asleep (stock photo) (Getty Images)Roughly half an hour into the two-hour, 35-minute flight the captain requested a brief break from his second in command, who took over the controls. The co-pilot did so but then fell asleep himself.
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A few minutes after the last recorded transmission by the co-pilot, the area control centre in Jakarta tried to contact the aircraft, but it received no answer. According to the report it was 28 minute before the last recorded transmission that the pilot woke up and realised his co-pilot was asleep. He also discovered that the aircraft was not on the correct flight path.
After waking his colleague the pilot responded to the calls from Jakarta and corrected the flight path. Although the incident led to the plane flying off course, the Airbus A320's 153 passengers and four flight attendants were unharmed during the two-hour-and-35-minute flight.
Air transport director-general M. Kristi Endah Murni of the Indonesian transport ministry said she 'strongly reprimands' Batik Air over the incident. She called on airlines to pay more attention to their air crew's rest time.
"We will carry out an investigation and review of the night flight operation in Indonesia related with Fatigue Risk Management for Batik Air and all flight operators," Kristi said in a statement.
According to the report, the co-pilot had been given a rest period of 53 hours before January 25. He had month-old twin babies at home and was busy moving to a new house with his family during the rest period.
Batik Air said in a statement on Saturday that it "operates with adequate rest policy" and that it was "committed to implement all safety recommendations". Investigators did not identify the pilots, but said they were both Indonesians and were aged 32 and 28.
The pilots involved in the January 25 incident had been temporarily suspended, the statement added. The Mirror has contacted Batik Air for additional comment.
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