Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
During the flight of an Airbus, both pilots fell asleep while the aircraft was at an altitude of 11 kilometers. After 28 minutes of dozing, the plane deviated from its course — but in the morning before, both pilots were deemed fit to fly.
The flight was operated from Kendari to Jakarta, and on board at that time were 153 passengers and 6 crew members. When both pilots fell asleep at the same time, the plane was flying at an altitude of approximately 11 kilometers, according to ecoportal.net.
How did both pilots fall asleep during the flight?
During the flight, the captain asked to be given the opportunity to rest, and therefore handed control to the co-pilot. However, before the flight, he had about 53 hours of rest — and still dozed off. This happened because, for most of the time, he had devoted himself to caring for his newborn twins and moving to another home, and was exhausted.
The autopilot maintained the last course, but the aircraft veered from where it should have been, while controllers spent nearly half an hour trying to contact the plane. Eventually the second pilot woke up, responded, and the aircraft returned to the correct course. No one was injured during the flight.
Before takeoff, pilots must undergo a physical fitness test: it measures heart rate, vision, the presence of illnesses, and blood pressure — and by all indicators both pilots were in excellent shape. However, there is currently no test that could quickly detect the consequences of a sleepless night.
Fuel
Average prices at the Amic Energy gas stations network as of
This incident prompted the company to implement effective fatigue management methods, proper rest before flight, and stricter rules for morning and night hours when the body most needs sleep.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Обидва пілоти заснули, поки літак летів на висоті 11 кілометрів: як таке могло статися". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.