Airliner strays off course after both pilots fell asleep for 30 minutes midair

A Batik Air plane prepares to land. 3 A Batik Air flight went off course after both its pilots were asleep for 28 minutes during a a two-hour and 35-minute trip.

An Indonesian airliner is being investigated after an incident where both pilots fell asleep midflight for nearly 30 minutes while 159 passengers were on board. The incident occurred during a Batik Air flight BTK6723 on Jan. 25, as reported by the country’s National Transportation Safety Committee.

During the two-and-a-half-hour flight from South East Sulawesi to Jakarta, the 32-year-old pilot in command fell asleep for an hour after notifying his 28-year-old deputy. The latter refused an offer to switch positions and also dozed off. As a result, the aircraft deviated from its flight path.

The plane had veered south of its intended destination at Jakarta on Jan. 25.

The pilot awoke 28 minutes later to find the plane off course while his second-in-command was also asleep. Despite air traffic attempts to contact BTK6723, there was no response from the pilots. Fortunately, the pilot managed to correct the course and safely land the plane in Jakarta without incident.

The incident report did not name the pilot but described him as a 32-year-old Indonesian national with a valid Airline Transport Pilot License, qualified as an Airbus A320 pilot. The second-in-command attributed his lack of sleep to caring for his one-month-old twins.

Jakarta’s air control center had made multiple calls to reach the pilots but received no answers.

Batik Air announced that both pilots have been "temporarily suspended," and the country’s transport ministry has issued a strong reprimand to the airline. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the incident and prevent similar occurrences in the future.