The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) released details of a Batik Air incident where both the pilot and co-pilot fell asleep for 28 minutes and carried 153 passengers with 5 crew on board. This incident happened on 25th January 2024, during a Jakarta-Kendari round flight on an Airbus A320 with registration code PK-LUV.
The investigation report revealed that the co-pilot hadn’t rested enough before the flight. When the plane reached 10,973 meters, the pilot let the co-pilot take over but both fell asleep. The co-pilot woke up after 30 minutes due to bad weather conditions.
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During the flight to Jakarta, the Batik Air pilot and co-pilot swapped roles. After reaching 10,973 meters altitude, the pilot allowed the co-pilot to rest. The co-pilot then took control of the plane, navigating through light turbulence caused by bad weather. They communicated with the Makassar Area Control (ACC) and were instructed to contact the Jakarta ACC Air Traffic Controller (ATC).
Unfortunately, after receiving instructions from ATC Jakarta, the co-pilot unintentionally fell asleep, with the last recorded communication occurring 12 minutes prior. Despite attempts to contact the pilot and other aircraft, there was no response.
After 28 minutes, the pilot woke up to find the co-pilot asleep and responded to a call from ACC Jakarta. KNKT Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono disclosed the investigation findings, attributing the incident to insufficient sleep the night before for both the pilot and co-pilot.
The co-pilot stayed awake the night before to accompany his wife with their 1-month-old twins. As a consequence of this incident, the airline has temporarily suspended both the Batik Air pilot and co-pilot.
