In Indonesia, an incident occurred where both the captain and the first officer fell asleep simultaneously, causing the airplane to deviate from its flight path.
On the 9th (local time), local Indonesian media cited a report from the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), reporting that the captain and first officer, operating an aircraft carrying 153 passengers, both fell asleep at the same time, resulting in the plane deviating from its route.
They arrived at Haluoleo Airport in the southeastern part of Sulawesi Island, their destination, at around 3:15 a.m. on January 25th, departing from the capital Jakarta.
After completing inspections at the airport, they took off again at around 7:05 a.m. with 153 passengers and 4 crew members to return to Jakarta.
Thirty minutes after takeoff, the captain handed over control to the first officer, stating he would take a rest, and then fell asleep. However, the first officer also fell asleep.
As a result, the aircraft's flight path changed, and although Batik Air continuously attempted to communicate, the first officer did not respond for 28 minutes after the last communication.
Fortunately, the captain woke up, found the sleeping first officer, responded to communications, and corrected the flight path. Although both the captain and first officer were drowsy for nearly 30 minutes, the aircraft later adjusted its route and safely arrived at its destination.
According to the report, both pilots are Indonesian nationals; the captain is 32 years old, and the first officer is 28. The first officer had newborn twins just one month old and was unable to get sufficient rest before the flight due to childcare responsibilities.
KNKT urged Batik Air to conduct regular inspections and establish detailed procedures to ensure that pilots and crew members get adequate rest before flights.
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