Pilots fall asleep in mid-air and deviate from flight path as desperate air traffic controllers try to wake them

An investigation has revealed that TWO commercial airliner pilots fell asleep at the same time while in the air.

A pilot and co-pilot slept for about 28 minutes at the same time as their plane, packed with 153 passengers, deviated from the flight path.

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The Batik Air flight was en route from Southeast Sulawesi to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on January 25 when disaster struck, according to a preliminary report from the National Air Safety Agency.

Findings in the report, which was uploaded to the agency’s website, showed that the pilots did not get adequate rest the night before the flight.

Shortly after take-off, the aircraft captain asked his second-in-command for permission to take a rest.

The request was granted.

The report stated that the co-pilot then took command of the Airbus A320 aircraft – but also “accidentally” fell asleep.

The report explained: ‘The second-in-command had a one-month-old twin brother babies.

“His wife took care of the babies and he helped at home.”

The area control center in Jakarta attempted to contact the aircraft 12 minutes after the co-pilot’s last recorded transmission, but received no response.

Twenty-eight minutes after the co-pilot’s last recorded transmission, the pilot woke up and realized that the aircraft was not on the correct flight path – and that his co-pilot was asleep.

He woke up his colleague, responded to officials’ calls, corrected the flight path and the plane was able to land safely, the report said.

The incident resulted in a number of navigation errors, but the plane’s passengers and four flight attendants were not injured, nor was the plane damaged during the two-hour, 35-minute flight.

Investigators said the captain was 32 years old and the second-in-command was 28 years old. Both were Indonesian.

According to the report, the pilot woke up around 5:30 a.m. local time the day before the flight.

He continued with his daily life and then went to sleep at 8 p.m., waking at 10 p.m. to prepare to go to the airport, where the crew had to report for duty at 1:25 a.m. for a 2:55 a.m. flight.

The co-pilot reportedly tried to sleep the night before the flight around 7 p.m., but woke up several times throughout the night to help his wife care for their babies.

The report stated: “The SIC [second-in-command] felt that his sleep quality had deteriorated due to the several times he woke up.”

He woke up around midnight to prepare to go to the airport and reported to the flight office at 1:26 am.

Before the flight on January 25, the pilot had a “rest period” of 35 hours and the co-pilot had a “rest period” of 53 hours.

The National Transportation Safety Committee has since urged airline Batik Air to establish detailed procedures to conduct proper and regular cockpit checks and ensure all crew members are properly rested for their flight.

The Sun has contacted Batik Air for more information.