The commercial airline, Batik Air, has received a stern warning from the Indonesian Transport Ministry following an incident where both the pilot and co-pilot were asleep during a flight from Southeast Sulawesi to Jakarta recently.
The ministry’s civil aviation director-general M Kristi Endah Murni, in a statement, stated that a thorough investigation would ensue, with sanctions to be determined based on the findings of the investigative team.
"A flight inspector will be dispatched to address the Safety Issue Resolution, pinpointing the root cause and recommending necessary actions to the airline operator and its regulator," Bernama reported her as saying.
The initial report from the National Transportation Safety Committee revealed that both pilots, who are now grounded following internal procedures, were asleep for about 28 minutes during Batik Air flight BTK6723 on Jan 25.
Despite some navigation errors, the plane, with 153 passengers and four flight attendants, completed the entire flight without any harm.
Kristi stressed that airlines must prioritise the timing and quality of rest for pilots and flight crew, as it significantly affects their alertness during flights.
"We will also scrutinise night flight operations in Indonesia concerning fatigue risk management for Batik Air and all other airline operators," she added.
Not enough rest
According to AFP yesterday, the National Transportation Safety Committee report indicated that one of the pilots had not rested properly on the night before the flight.
About 30 minutes after taking off, the captain sought his second-in-command’s permission to rest for a while, which was allowed.
The co-pilot, however, also inadvertently fell asleep after taking control of the plane.
“The second-in-command had one-month twin babies. His wife took care of the babies and he assisted while at home,” the report stated.
A few minutes after the last recorded transmission by the co-pilot, the area control centre in Jakarta tried to contact the aircraft but received no answer.
About 28 minutes later after the last recorded transmission, the pilot woke up and realised his co-pilot was also asleep, with the aircraft not moving on the right flight path.
He immediately woke his colleague up, responded to the calls from Jakarta and corrected the flight path, the report said.
No untoward incident was reported. Both pilots are Indonesians aged between 32 and 28. - Mkini
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