As of: March 8, 2024, 10:11 p.m
By: Nadja Zinsmeister
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An incident on an Indonesian airliner causes a stir.
A pilot asked permission to sleep.
But his co-pilot also nodded off.
Jakarta - The aviation safety authority in Indonesia has called for stricter controls for pilots after an incident during a flight to Jakarta.
According to an investigation report by the authority, two pilots of a commercial airliner fell asleep at the same time, causing the plane with around 153 passengers on board to veer off course and fly in the wrong direction for almost half an hour.
The incident was minor, but was taken as a warning.
In October, a pilot tried to intentionally crash a plane with around 80 passengers.
Both pilots fall asleep during the flight - the control center tries in vain to make contact
The AFP news agency first reported on the incident.
The pilots therefore worked for the airline Batik Air. During the flight in January, the captain of the plane asked his co-pilot for permission to rest about half an hour after takeoff.
He agreed and took command - but only for a few minutes.
According to the investigation report, the deputy pilot also unintentionally fell asleep after a short time.
“The deputy commander has one-month-old twins.
His wife took care of the babies and he helped her while he was at home,” the report explains.
The plane then remained without a responsible person.
A Batik Airbus plane went off course in January because the pilots fell asleep.
(Symbolic photo) © IMAGO/Zoonar.com/Markus Mainka
The responsible control center in Jakarta tried in vain to contact the two again a few minutes after the co-pilot's last recorded radio message.
It was only about 28 minutes later that the pilot apparently woke up and saw that his co-pilot was also asleep.
He woke up his colleague.
At the same time he noticed that the aircraft was no longer on the correct course.
The pilot reestablished contact with the control center and corrected the route.
Finally, the plane landed safely at the destination airport in Jakarta.
Safety authority calls for stricter measures for staff after sleeping incident on airliner
The security authority in Indonesia used the incident as a reason to demand regular checks in the country.
Airlines would have to implement stricter cockpit controls and ensure that their staff get enough sleep.
Such an incident is unlikely to happen again, as it could have turned out completely differently.
The airline was also asked to carry out regular cabin checks.
Air Batik did not immediately respond to a request from the AFP news agency for comment.
In order to rest, opportunities to rest must be guaranteed, especially during long-haul flights.
The rooms for the pilots are either directly behind the cockpit or at the front above the passenger cabins.
“You climb up a small ladder,” reported a pilot to the Ippen Central editorial team.
There are one or two bunks at the top.
As a rule, you can only stand there bending over.
(nz/afp)