Indonesia's Batik Air faces probe after pilots fall asleep mid-flight

[Kb27]

If you're planning to travel, some things you might want to consider.

 

Indonesia's Batik Air faces probe after pilots fall asleep mid-flight

The Batik Air plane briefly veered off course but was able to land safely

 

Indonesia is investigating local carrier Batik Air after both pilots were found to have fallen asleep for 28 minutes mid-flight.

The two men - who have both been temporarily suspended - fell asleep during a flight on 25 January from Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta.

One of them was reportedly tired from helping care for his newborn twins.

The Airbus A320 briefly veered off course but landed safely, with all 153 passengers and crew members unharmed.

The 32-year-old pilot had told his co-pilot to take control of the aircraft about half an hour after take off, saying he needed to rest. The 28-year-old co-pilot agreed, according to a report from the transport ministry.

But the co-pilot inadvertently fell asleep as well. According to the report, he had been helping his wife look after their one-month-old twin babies.

Jakarta air traffic control tried contacting the cockpit of the Batik Air A320 after their last recorded transmission but received no response.

That radio silence lasted 28 minutes until the lead pilot woke up and realised that his co-pilot had also fallen asleep. He also found that the aircraft had briefly veered off course.

The pilots then responded to calls from Jakarta and landed the plane safely.

Medical tests before the flight deemed that the men were fit to fly. Their blood pressure and heart rate were normal and alcohol tests came back negative.

But while the pilots appeared to be fully rested, the tests failed to determine whether the quality of their rest was good, aviation expert Alvin Lie told BBC Indonesian.

Authorities have now "strongly reprimanded" Batik Air over the incident, with Indonesia's head of air transport, M Kristi Endah Murni, saying that Batik Air should pay more attention to their crew's rest time.

Batik Air has said it "operates with adequate rest policy" and that it was "committed to implement all safety recommendations".

In 2019, the same airline was forced to have an emergency landing after the pilot fainted.

Aviation regulations in most countries require at least two pilots to be present in the cockpit of commercial airliners.

[Atonchia]

On 3/11/2024 at 11:19 PM, Kb27 said:

If you're planning to travel, some things you might want to consider.

 

Indonesia's Batik Air faces probe after pilots fall asleep mid-flight

The Batik Air plane briefly veered off course but was able to land safely

 

Indonesia is investigating local carrier Batik Air after both pilots were found to have fallen asleep for 28 minutes mid-flight.

The two men - who have both been temporarily suspended - fell asleep during a flight on 25 January from Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta.

One of them was reportedly tired from helping care for his newborn twins.

The Airbus A320 briefly veered off course but landed safely, with all 153 passengers and crew members unharmed.

The 32-year-old pilot had told his co-pilot to take control of the aircraft about half an hour after take off, saying he needed to rest. The 28-year-old co-pilot agreed, according to a report from the transport ministry.

But the co-pilot inadvertently fell asleep as well. According to the report, he had been helping his wife look after their one-month-old twin babies.

Jakarta air traffic control tried contacting the cockpit of the Batik Air A320 after their last recorded transmission but received no response.

That radio silence lasted 28 minutes until the lead pilot woke up and realised that his co-pilot had also fallen asleep. He also found that the aircraft had briefly veered off course.

The pilots then responded to calls from Jakarta and landed the plane safely.

Medical tests before the flight deemed that the men were fit to fly. Their blood pressure and heart rate were normal and alcohol tests came back negative.

But while the pilots appeared to be fully rested, the tests failed to determine whether the quality of their rest was good, aviation expert Alvin Lie told BBC Indonesian.

Authorities have now "strongly reprimanded" Batik Air over the incident, with Indonesia's head of air transport, M Kristi Endah Murni, saying that Batik Air should pay more attention to their crew's rest time.

Batik Air has said it "operates with adequate rest policy" and that it was "committed to implement all safety recommendations".

In 2019, the same airline was forced to have an emergency landing after the pilot fainted.

Aviation regulations in most countries require at least two pilots to be present in the cockpit of commercial airliners.

Maybe hypoxic

[Inlinefour]

our multi million minions also sleeping on the job or asleep during master briefing 🤐🤐🤐

[Atonchia]

On 3/12/2024 at 12:02 AM, Inlinefour said:

our multi million minions also sleeping on the job or asleep during master briefing 🤐🤐🤐

It called 

"冥想“

AKA 

"Meditation"

 

 

[Beanoyip]

I heard reports saying the pilot just had new born twins, so lack of sleep. 

[Inlinefour]

On 3/12/2024 at 1:03 AM, Atonchia said:

It called 

"冥想“

AKA 

"Meditation"

 

 

love your analogy 👍👍👍 perfect 🍻🍻🍻

[Jamesc]

On 3/11/2024 at 11:19 PM, Kb27 said:

If you're planning to travel, some things you might want to consider.

I always check very carefully

and will book for MIL next trip.

[kobayashiGT]

On 3/12/2024 at 1:03 AM, Atonchia said:

It called 

"冥想“

AKA 

"Meditation"

 

 

Some say is meditation, some say is trance. 

[Kb27]

The drug pilots take to stay awake

Pilot fatigue is in the spotlight this week, after the news that one Indonesian flight had two sleeping pilots at its helm. But military organisations have been grappling with this problem for decades – and they have a surprising solution.

The intriguing tablets were discovered in a Nazi's pocket. The pilot had been shot down over Britain in a bombing raid during World War Two – along with the remains of his methamphetamine supply. At the time, this was the Luftwaffe's favourite pick-me-up for fatigued airmen, known as "pilot's salt" for its liberal application. But though the allied forces suspected this, they didn't know for sure.

The pharmacological souvenirs were promptly shipped off for testing, and soon the British were working on their own version. The resulting stimulant was widely distributed, and fuelled hundreds of late-night missions across Europe. But this was just the beginning. A related drug, dextroamphetamine, again became popular during the Gulf War in 1990-91, when it was taken by the majority of fighter pilots involved in the initial bombardments on Iraqi forces in Kuwait. Today this pill is still in use by US military aircrews. They use it to solve the same problem, pilot fatigue, which can creep up on aviators during long missions and compromise their safety.

But there's a catch. Amphetamines can be highly addictive – and even in the 1940s they were widely abused. So, in recent years, military organisations have been on the hunt for another option.

Enter modafinil, a stimulant originally developed for the treatment of narcolepsy and excessive daytime drowsiness in the 1970s. It didn't take long for people to discover that, while the drug can help to prevent people from falling asleep, it can also have powerful effects. The medication has been shown to improve spatial planning, pattern recognition, and working memory, as well as boosting overall cognitive performance, alertness, and vigilance in situations of extreme fatigue.

Modafinil has its own flaws. Side effects can include sweating, pounding headaches, and even hallucinations. Depite these risks, in certain circumstances it can be a formidable aid for those who need to stay awake. In one early study the drug kept people alert for up to 64 hours of activity, and its effects have been compared to drinking 20 cups of coffee. How does it work? And why is it used?

 

A powerful stimulant

In the world of fighter pilots, there are two kinds of drugs: go-pills and no-go pills. The former are stimulants, and increase the activity of the central nervous system – one reason amphetamines are sometimes known by the street name "speed". The latter are depressant substances, which slow down the transmission of messages between the brain and the body. In situations where the timing of alertness and sleep is critical, air forces sometimes use these medications to command the body into cooperation. So, along with an arsenal of sleep aids, this is where modafinil comes in.

Modafinil is already widely available – approved for use by air forces in Singapore, India, France, the Netherlands, and the United States. Meanwhile, an investigation by the Guardian newspaper in the UK revealed that a substantial cache of the drug had been purchased by the UK Ministry of Defence ahead of the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Another order had been secured in 2002, before the invasion of Iraq, Though a defence research agency conducted experiments with the pills, they were reportedly not used on combat personnel.

[teomingern]

On 3/15/2024 at 10:57 PM, Kb27 said:

The drug pilots take to stay awake

Pilot fatigue is in the spotlight this week, after the news that one Indonesian flight had two sleeping pilots at its helm. But military organisations have been grappling with this problem for decades – and they have a surprising solution.

The intriguing tablets were discovered in a Nazi's pocket. The pilot had been shot down over Britain in a bombing raid during World War Two – along with the remains of his methamphetamine supply. At the time, this was the Luftwaffe's favourite pick-me-up for fatigued airmen, known as "pilot's salt" for its liberal application. But though the allied forces suspected this, they didn't know for sure.

The pharmacological souvenirs were promptly shipped off for testing, and soon the British were working on their own version. The resulting stimulant was widely distributed, and fuelled hundreds of late-night missions across Europe. But this was just the beginning. A related drug, dextroamphetamine, again became popular during the Gulf War in 1990-91, when it was taken by the majority of fighter pilots involved in the initial bombardments on Iraqi forces in Kuwait. Today this pill is still in use by US military aircrews. They use it to solve the same problem, pilot fatigue, which can creep up on aviators during long missions and compromise their safety.

But there's a catch. Amphetamines can be highly addictive – and even in the 1940s they were widely abused. So, in recent years, military organisations have been on the hunt for another option.

Enter modafinil, a stimulant originally developed for the treatment of narcolepsy and excessive daytime drowsiness in the 1970s. It didn't take long for people to discover that, while the drug can help to prevent people from falling asleep, it can also have powerful effects. The medication has been shown to improve spatial planning, pattern recognition, and working memory, as well as boosting overall cognitive performance, alertness, and vigilance in situations of extreme fatigue.

Modafinil has its own flaws. Side effects can include sweating, pounding headaches, and even hallucinations. Depite these risks, in certain circumstances it can be a formidable aid for those who need to stay awake. In one early study the drug kept people alert for up to 64 hours of activity, and its effects have been compared to drinking 20 cups of coffee. How does it work? And why is it used?

 

A powerful stimulant

In the world of fighter pilots, there are two kinds of drugs: go-pills and no-go pills. The former are stimulants, and increase the activity of the central nervous system – one reason amphetamines are sometimes known by the street name "speed". The latter are depressant substances, which slow down the transmission of messages between the brain and the body. In situations where the timing of alertness and sleep is critical, air forces sometimes use these medications to command the body into cooperation. So, along with an arsenal of sleep aids, this is where modafinil comes in.

Modafinil is already widely available – approved for use by air forces in Singapore, India, France, the Netherlands, and the United States. Meanwhile, an investigation by the Guardian newspaper in the UK revealed that a substantial cache of the drug had been purchased by the UK Ministry of Defence ahead of the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Another order had been secured in 2002, before the invasion of Iraq, Though a defence research agency conducted experiments with the pills, they were reportedly not used on combat personnel.

Licensed drug taking essentially...

[Jamesc]

Pilot can only work a set number of hours a day.

So how can they be tired?

Either airlines disregard the maximum hours of pilot or in his rest time go party or working like looking after new born twins.

What is the excuse for the captain sleeping?

Edited March 18 by Jamesc