Both pilots fell asleep for 28 Minutes

BATIK BOEING 737-8GP PK-LDM (MSN 38303)

The Indonesian air safety agency has called for better pilot fatigue monitoring mechanisms, after an investigation revealed that both pilots of a commercial aircraft had recently fallen asleep in-flight.

A pilot and co-pilot were simultaneously asleep for approximately 28 minutes during a Batik Air flight from Southeast Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta on the 25th of January, a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said.

The report, seen by AFP on Friday (the 8th of Mar), was uploaded to the agency's website in late February.

The incident took place on flight ID 6723 from Kendari (KDI/WAWW) to Jakarta (CGK/WIII)

One of the pilots had not rested adequately on the night before the flight, the report said. The incident resulted in a series of navigation errors, but the Airbus A320's 153 passengers and four flight attendants were unharmed during the two-hour-and-35-minute flight.

About half an hour after the plane took off, the captain asked permission from his second-in-command to rest for a while, with the request being granted. The co-pilot then took over command of the aircraft, but also inadvertently fell asleep himself, the report said.

"The second-in-command had one-month old twin babies. His wife took care of the babies, and he assisted while at home," the report said. A few minutes after the last recorded transmission by the co-pilot, the area control centre in Jakarta tried to contact the aircraft several times. It received no answer.

Twenty-eight minutes after the last recorded transmission, the pilot woke up and realised his co-pilot was asleep and that the aircraft was not on the correct flight path. He immediately woke his colleague up, responded to the calls from Jakarta and corrected the flight path, the report said.

Investigators did not identify the pilots, but said they were both Indonesians and were aged 32 and 28. KNKT urged Batik Air to create detailed procedures to conduct proper and regular cockpit checks and to ensure that pilots and cabin crew were well-rested before their flights.

The plane landed safely after the incident.

Batik Air did not immediately respond to questions when contacted by AFP.