Two pilots fell asleep for almost 30 minutes during a passenger flight over Indonesia, according to a report.
The incident occurred on 25 January this year, on a Batik Air return flight from Haluoleo International Airport, in Indonesia‘s Southeast Sulawesi region, to Soekarno-Hatta Airport, in the capital, Jakarta.
Both co-pilots, a 28-year-old man and a 32-year-old man, fell asleep for around 28 minutes, according to the preliminary report from Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).
When they woke up, they found the aircraft was “not on the correct flight path”.
According to the report, the younger of the pilots – the second in command – had been struggling to sleep lately, after his wife gave birth to twins. The family had also recently moved house.
The initial leg of the flight out from the Indonesian capital went off without incident, and the younger pilot slept for about 30 minutes before waking up for the descent.
After landing, the report said that the men ate instant noodles in the cockpit, before taking back off again.
Then, with 153 passengers and four flight attendants on board, the pilots flew to 36,000 feet, at which point the 32-year-old told his co-pilot to take control of the plane, saying he needed to rest.
The younger co-pilot agreed, but during the flight inadvertently fell asleep as well, with both seemingly asleep for approximately 241 miles, according to the report.
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Jakarta air traffic control repeatedly tried to contact the cockpit of the Batik Air A320 flight.
However, they received no response for 28 minutes until the older pilot woke up.
He then woke his co-pilot, corrected the flight path, and they were able to land the plane at Jakarta safely.
Batik Air has been approached for comment.
