Half an hour without control – Airbus pilots fell asleep at 11,000 meters

Both pilots of a Batik Air flight from Kendari to Jakarta fell asleep for nearly 28 minutes, leaving an Airbus A320 with 159 people on board without control. The captain was resting, and the co-pilot, despite 53 hours of rest, also fell asleep. The aircraft deviated from its course, but the autopilot kept it stable. Controllers could not contact the crew. After waking up, the pilots corrected the course and landed the plane safely.

The co-pilot of a Batik Air Airbus A320, exhausted from caring for newborn twins, fell asleep after the resting captain. As a result, both pilots lost control of the situation for about 28 minutes on a flight from Kendari to Jakarta. On board were 153 passengers and six crew members. The autopilot continued to hold the aircraft at an altitude of about 11 kilometers, but the plane gradually deviated from its assigned route. Air traffic controllers tried several times to contact the crew but received no response. After some time, the co-pilot woke up, noticed the deviation, and responded to controllers. The crew corrected the flight path, and the plane landed safely. All people on board were unharmed. Before the flight, both pilots underwent standard checks and were deemed fit to fly. The incident has again drawn attention to the problem of crew fatigue, which standard medical exams do not always detect.