Indonesian Transport Ministry investigates incident of pilot falling asleep

Indonesia's Transport Ministry has warned Batik Air and opened an investigation into night flying operations after a pilot fell asleep.

"We will conduct an investigation and review of night flight procedures in Indonesia, involving the Health Risk Management Department of Batik Air and other flight operators," Director General of Aviation M. Kristi Endah Murni of the Indonesian Ministry of Transport announced on March 9.

The statement came after Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) released a preliminary report on an incident in which the pilot and co-pilot of Batik Air fell asleep for 28 minutes while the plane was flying from Southeast Sulawesi province to the capital Jakarta on January 25. The report was released by KNKT late last month and was reported by the media on March 8.

A Batik Air plane takes off from France in October 2017. Photo: Reuters — A Batik Air plane takes off from France in October 2017. Photo: *Reuters*

Indonesia's aviation chief said she had issued a stern warning to Batik Air. The crew involved in the incident have been suspended pending further investigation.

The incident occurred on flight BTK6723, using an Airbus A320. The two pilots involved were both Indonesian, the captain was 32 years old and the co-pilot was 28 years old.

About half an hour after takeoff, the captain told the first officer that he needed a break, and the first officer agreed. The first officer then took control of the plane, but also fell asleep.

The plane veered off course but had no problems. When the captain woke up, he corrected the flight path, continued the journey, then landed safely and all 153 passengers and 4 crew members had no problems.

Preliminary investigation shows that the co-pilot did not get enough rest because the family had just welcomed twin babies about one month old at the time of the flight.

Ms Murni stressed that all airlines need to pay close attention to the rest time and health and qualifications of pilots and cabin crew. Factors such as health and rest time will significantly affect the alertness of flight crew.

The Indonesian Aviation Authority will send inspectors to work with the airline and relevant parties, specifically identify the root cause of the incident and propose measures to prevent similar cases for all flight operators and supervisory agencies.

"Any form of punishment will be decided after the investigation is concluded," Ms. Murni added.

Indonesia is a vast archipelago with a troubled aviation safety record, despite relying heavily on air transport to connect the thousands of islands across the country.

In 2014, an A320 crashed into the Java Sea in bad weather, killing 162 people. In October 2018, 189 people died when a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX crashed into the sea. In 2021, a Sriwijaya Air plane crashed into the sea, killing all 62 people on board.

Thanh Danh (According to Antara, AFP, Star )

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