Indonesia’s aviation authority said it would review how the country’s airlines operate night flights after both pilots on a Batik Air flight carrying 153 passengers fell asleep, causing the plane to briefly veer off course.
The plane took off from Kendari at about 8 a.m., and after reaching cruising altitude, the captain took a nap while the co-pilot manned the flight, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Committee.
After about an hour, the co-pilot accidentally fell asleep, and several frantic calls from the air traffic control center and other aircraft went unanswered.
About 28 minutes later, the pilot woke up, realized the plane had veered off course and woke up the co-pilot.
They course-corrected, and the plane landed safely in Jakarta.
Persons:
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Organizations:
National Transportation Safety
Locations:
Kendari, Jakarta