Scary Travel Nightmares: Two pilots fall asleep in mid-flight!
A shocking report has revealed how two pilots fell asleep for nearly half an hour at 36 000 feet in the air, with 150 passengers on board.
In what is truly a nightmare scenario for any airline passengers, a shocking report has uncovered an incident where two Indonesian Airlines pilots fell asleep midway through a flight between Jakarta and Kendarithe.
According to the investigation, the second-in-command told the pilot he had not slept well and needed a rest, which he was granted. Later, on the return flight to Jakarta, the commanding pilot then opted to take a turn to rest, but while he was sleeping, the secondary also fell asleep at 36,000 feet with 153 passengers and four flight attendants on board.
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has also revealed that air traffic control was unable to contact the drifting plane, which ended up heading in the wrong direction.
After 28 minutes, the commanding pilot woke up and was able to rectify the flight path before any catastrophe occurred.
BOTH PILOTS HAVE SINCE BEEN SUSPENDED AFTER FALLING ASLEEP ‘AT THE WHEEL’
Part of the preliminary report into the incident reads as follows: “At 0211 UTC or 28 minutes after the last recorded transmission from the SIC, the PIC (Primary In Command) woke up and was aware that the aircraft was not in the correct flight path. The PIC then saw the SIC was sleeping and woke him up. At about the same time, the PIC responded to the call from another pilot and Jakarta ACC.
“The PIC advised the Jakarta ACC that BTK6723 experienced a radio communication problem and currently the problem has been resolved. The flight then continued
and landed at Jakarta uneventfully. No one was injured in this occurrence and there was no damage to the aircraft.”
SAFETY ACTION
On 7 February 2024, safety notices were issued to all pilots and flight attendants (FAs) subject to enhancing vigilance and communication during flight operations. The notice included reminders as follows:
to perform cabin and cockpit checks in accordance with the Safety Emergency Procedures
(SEP) subchapter 1.1.24.1.
to manage adequate rest periods before reporting time for flight duty, especially for early
morning flights.
On 12 February 2024, there was also a notice issued to pilots for ensuring personal fitness before flight duty, which included a reminder for pilots to:
implement sufficient, adequate, and good-quality rest. For a red-eye/midnight flight, the flight crew
must utilize the available rest given prior and understand the circadian rhythm effect on the body.
review the IM SAFE personal checklist during the pre-flight briefing as described in the OM-A
subchapter 6.1.
Read the full investigative report here