Two Pilots Fell Asleep Mid-Flight While Cruising At 36,000 Feet

Two pilots in the cockpit of a modern passenger jet aircraft.

Photo: southerlycourse / E+ / Getty Images

An investigation by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee found that two pilots fell asleep in the middle of a flight on January 25. The pilots were flying a Batik Air flight with 153 passengers and four crew members from the island of Kendari to Jakarta.

Once the plane reached a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, the plane's pilot asked the co-pilot to take control while he took a nap.

After about an hour, the pilot woke up and asked if the other pilot wanted to sleep. The co-pilot declined, and the pilot went back to sleep.

After speaking with air traffic controllers in Jakarta, the second pilot also fell asleep. As the plane veered off-course, air traffic controllers tried to contact the pilots but were met with silence.

About 30 minutes later, the main pilot woke up and realized his co-pilot had also fallen asleep. He immediately corrected the plane's course and landed safely in Jakarta.

Batik Air said that both pilots were temporarily suspended following the incident.


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