Indonesia’s Batik Air faces probe after pilots fall asleep mid-flight

After finding that both of the pilots on board had fallen asleep in mid-flight, Indonesia’s transportation department will launch an investigation into the nearby provider Batik Air.

The pair, who have both been partially suspended, slept for about 28 minutes on a flight from Sulawesi to Jakarta.

The Airbus A320 veered off course for a while, but managed to land properly.

All 153 customers and members of the crew suffered no harm.

The plane was en-route to the money Jakarta from east Sulawesi at the time of the incident, which took place on January 25th, 2018.

The 32-year-old captain had instructed his co-pilot to take control of the aircraft about 30 minutes after takeoff, saying he needed to relax. According to a statement from the travel government, the 28-year-old co-pilot agreed.

However, the co-pilot unintentionally snoozed when effectively. His family had only given birth to one-month-old twin children, according to the report, and he was helping with care.

After their most recent recorded distribution, Jakarta air traffic control attempted to contact the Batik Air A320’s aircraft, but was unsuccessful.

The result pilot woke up and realized that his co-pilot had fallen asleep as well, which lasted for 28 minutes. Additionally, he discovered that the plane had dimly veered off course.

The pilots finally responded to Jakarta’s requests and carefully landing the aircraft.

Before the journey, the duo was determined to be fit for flight due to medical tests. Their blood pressure and heart level were both regular, and the results of drinking tests were negative.

However, the tests failed to identify whether the quality of the pilots ‘ rest was good, according to aviation professional Alvin Lie, who spoke to BBC Indonesian.

Authorities have today” highly disciplined” Batik Air over the event, with M. Kristi Endah Murni, Indonesia’s mind of air travel, saying that Batik Air may pay more attention to their crew’s rest time.

Batik Air has stated that it adheres to an adequate sleep coverage and that it is” committed to implementing all security tips.”

Following a pilot’s fainting, the same flight was forced to make an emergency landing in 2019.