When both Pilots fell asleep inside Cockpit for half an hour in a Flight

A recent report by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) in Indonesia has revealed that both pilots fell asleep for 28 minutes during a Batik Air flight from Kendari (KDI) to Jakarta (CGK).

𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:

At 07:48 LT, Batik Air Airbus A320 (PK-LUV) with flight number #BTK6723 from Kendari (KDI) to Jakarta (CGK) and after the boarding process had been completed, the aircraft started to move. Both pilots utilized their headsets to monitor the air traffic controller’s radio communication. The cockpit loudspeakers were on with minimal volume.

At 00:05 UTC, the aircraft departed from Kendari for Jakarta. In this flight, the PIC (Pilot In Command) acted as PM (Pilot Monitoring) and the SIC (Second In Command) as PF (Pilot Flying). The total number of passengers on board was 153. About 55 nm from KDI VOR/DME, when the aircraft was at an altitude of 22,000 feet, the Kendari ATC transferred the control of BTK6723 to the ATC of Makassar Area Control Center (ACC). The aircraft continued to climb to a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet.

After the fastened seatbelt sign was turned off, the Flight Attendants (FAs) performed a cabin check and started the passenger light meal service. The FA1 came to the cockpit and provided snacks to the pilots.

At 00:37 UTC, the aircraft reached a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet. After maintaining the cruising altitude, both pilots took their headsets off, and the cockpit loudspeaker volume was increased. The PIC then asked permission to rest from the SIC, which was granted. A few seconds later, the PIC slept, and the SIC then took over PIC duty as PM.

The PIC woke up and, at 01:22 UTC, asked whether the SIC wanted to rest. The SIC responded that he did not want to rest. Both pilots then had a non-related-duty conversation for about 30 seconds, and then the PIC continued to sleep.

The SIC was aware that the PIC was sleeping and continued the duty both as PF and PM.

At 01:24 UTC, the SIC requested to fly on heading 275° to avoid bad weather conditions at the Makassar ACC, and it was approved.

At 01:29 UTC, the SIC communicated with the FA using an interphone, asking about the passenger’s condition as he felt that the aircraft had encountered light turbulence. FA1 responded to the SIC that the passengers were okay.

At 01:34 UTC, the SIC reported to the Makassar ACC that the aircraft was flying on a heading of 250°. The Makassar ACC acknowledged the pilot report and instructed BTK6723 to report when the aircraft was clear from the bad weather conditions. The SIC then read back the Makassar ACC acknowledged.

At 01:42 UTC, the Makassar ACC instructed BTK6723 to contact the ATC of Jakarta ACC, and it was read back by the SIC.

At 01:43:32 UTC, the SIC made initial contact with Jakarta ACC. BTK6723 was instructed to follow KURUS 2G Standard Instrument Arrival (STAR) and report when the aircraft was clear from bad weather conditions. At that time, the aircraft was flying on a heading of 250° and located about 125 Nm east of Waypoint KURUS.

At 01:43:42 UTC, the SIC read back the Jakarta ACC instruction. A few moments later, the SIC inadvertently fell asleep.

Makassar ACC and Jakarta ACC provided the air traffic control services by utilizing surveillance system (radar service).

At 01:56 UTC, or 12 minutes after the last recorded transmission from the SIC, the Jakarta ACC asked BTK6723 how long the aircraft needed to fly on the current heading (250°). There was no reply from the pilots.

At 01:57 UTC, the Jakarta ACC called BTK6723, but there was no response from the pilots. Several attempts to contact BTK6723 had been made by the Jakarta ACC, including asking other pilots to call BTK6723. None of the calls were responded to by the BTK6723 pilots.

At 02:11 UTC, or 28 minutes after the last recorded transmission from the SIC, the PIC woke up and was aware that the aircraft was not in the correct flight path. The PIC then saw that the SIC was sleeping and woke him up. At 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 in Jakarta uneventfully.

No one was injured in this occurrence, and there was no damage to the aircraft.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀

The Captain (Pilot In Command) was 32 years old, of Indonesian nationality, held a valid Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL), and qualified as an Airbus A320 pilot. The Captain also held a valid First-Class medical certificate with the medical limitation of wearing corrective lenses.

The last proficiency check was conducted on 12 November 2023, and the result was satisfactory. The Captain had a total flying time of 6,304 hours.

The First Officer (Second In Command) was 28 years old, of Indonesian nationality, held a valid Commercial Pilot License (CPL), and qualified as an Airbus A320 pilot. The pilot also held a valid First-Class medical certificate without limitation.

The last proficiency check was conducted on 1 November 2023, and the result was satisfactory. The pilot had a total flight time of 1,664 hours.