Two pilots fell asleep for 28 minutes during flight to Jakarta causing plane to veer off course

The captain offered to take over and allow the co-pilot to sleep but he declined, only to drift off later. Photo / 123rf

Two pilots have been suspended after they both fell asleep during a flight and allowed it to veer off its flight path.

The Batik Air flight BTK6723 was flying 159 passengers from Kendari in South East Sulawesi to Jakarta on January 25 when the incident occurred.

Both the pilot and co-pilot fell asleep for 28 minutes, which meant “the aircraft was not in the correct flight path”, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) on Saturday.

The pilots have not been publicly named but the pilot was 32 and the co-pilot was 28, the New York Post reports.

When officials investigated, following the incident, the captain claimed he was struggling to get enough sleep while looking after his new 1-month-old twins. Despite the lack of sleep, both pilots were approved as fit to fly before the flight and passed alcohol checks and health tests.

Once the aircraft reached cruising altitude, the captain allegedly asked the co-pilot if he could sleep and fell asleep for an hour. After briefly waking up, he asked if the co-pilot wanted to trade places but the 28-year-old declined.

The pilot fell back asleep but 28 minutes later, when he woke up, he realised the aircraft had veered off course and his co-pilot was asleep, the report stated.

During the pilots’ shared sleep, the air control centre in Jakarta noticed the abnormal flight path and tried to contact the pilots many times.

The captain corrected the aircraft and safely landed in Jakarta, without any issues or injuries.

Batik Air has temporarily suspended both pilots, according to the New York Post, and Indonesia’s Transport Ministry has criticised the airline for the incident.

Civil aviation director-general M Kristi Endah Murni said they would conduct an independent investigation, state news agency Antara reported.

“We will carry out an investigation and review of the night flight operation in Indonesia related with Fatigue Risk Management for Batik Air and all flight operators,” Kristi said.

This isn’t the first time pilots have fallen asleep “at the wheel”. In 2022, an Ethiopian Airlines flight completely missed its landing, as the two pilots fell asleep and the Boeing 737′s autopilot system meant it continued cruising at 37,000 feet.

These types of incidents will not come as a surprise to the European Cockpit Association, which conducted a study on napping midair in July 2023. After surveying 6893 pilots, the association found that 75 per cent said they had fallen asleep at least once while flying a plane.