A report concluded that during a Batek Air flight, the plane's two pilots slept for approximately 28 minutes. The plane, which was carrying 153 passengers and four crew members, had left the island of Sulawesi and was heading to Jakarta on January 25, a flight that took two hours and 35 minutes.
The report did not identify the pilots and merely indicated that the pilot flying the plane was a 32-year-old Indonesian and the second pilot was a 28-year-old Indonesian. According to the report, both were deemed fit to fly, after they passed medical examinations and tested negative for alcohol.
When the flight reached an altitude of 36,000 feet, about 30 minutes after departure, the pilot asked his deputy for permission to rest, which he obtained. He fell asleep and woke up a little less than an hour later.
The pilot in charge then asked his cabinmate if he wanted to sleep, but he refused, according to the report, so the first pilot continued to sleep while the deputy remained in control of the plane.
After making contact with the Jakarta area control center, the second pilot “unintentionally fell asleep,” the report said, noting that when the control center later attempted to contact the pilots, it received no response.
“The Jakarta control center made several attempts to contact BTK6723, including asking other pilots to contact BTK6723,” the report said. “None of the calls were answered by the pilots of BTK6723.”
The report said that 28 minutes after the second pilot's last recorded transmission, the first pilot woke up and “realized that the plane was not on the correct track.” The pilot put the flight back on track and the plane landed in Jakarta, according to the report.
The document stated that the passengers and employees on board were not affected, and that no damage was caused to the plane.
According to the report, the second pilot was taking care of his one-month-old twins at home, had difficulty sleeping and changed his residence the day before the flight.
Indonesia's Civil Aviation Director Maria Christie Indah Murni said, according to Agence France-Presse, that the Ministry of Transport “strongly rebukes” Batik Air over the incident.
“We will conduct an investigation and review of the operation of night flights in Indonesia regarding fatigue risk management for Batik Air and all flight operators,” she said in a statement.
Agence France-Presse reported, citing a Batik Air statement, that the two pilots were “temporarily suspended.” Batik Air did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Worldwide, the air transport sector has long suffered from the problem of employee burnout, especially pilots and cabin crew.
A July survey of 6,893 pilots in Europe conducted by aviation safety consultancy the European Cockpit Association found that 3 in 4 pilots had fallen asleep at the wheel in the month prior to the survey.
In 2022, Wizz Air's general manager faced negative reactions from unions and pilot representatives, after he pleaded with overworked employees to “work harder” due to staff shortages, Sky News reported.
in August, Washington Post US federal authorities have reportedly investigated nearly 5,000 pilots suspected of falsifying their medical records to hide that they were receiving treatment for mental disorders or other serious conditions that could disqualify them as unfit to fly.
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