Pilot Falls Asleep Mid-flight; INACA Highlights Fatigue Management

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) head of scheduled service division, Bayu Sutanto, stated that every airline has a security system to monitor the activities of its aircraft and pilots, which is called Flight Data Monitoring (FDM).

“So everything the crew or the pilot does and the aircraft's movement activities are monitored,” Bayu told Tempo on Wednesday, March 13.

Under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, FDM is mandatory for most major aircraft operators as it helps operators and pilots to predict and prevent problems or disasters. The system is capable of detecting problems with standard procedures, equipment, and systems.

Bayu made the statement in response to reports that a Batik Air pilot and co-pilot fell asleep for about 28 minutes during flight ID-6723 from Kendari to Jakarta. As a result, the flight deviated from its course on January 25.

Besides FDM, Bayu emphasized that monitoring should also be done by checking the condition of the crew. This is often referred to as Fatigue Management. Officers can first check their schedules and take regular medical checks according to flight hour limitations.

“Apart from that, consistent audits or supervision, of course by both internal auditors and authority auditors, are necessary,” Bayu said.

M. Kristi Endah Murni, the Director General of Civil Aviation, said the government would investigate and review night flight operations in Indonesia regarding fatigue risk management for Batik Air and other airlines following the incident.

AISYAH AMIRA WAKANG

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