Indonesian Flight Deviated From Route After Pilots Fell Asleep for Nearly Half an Hour

The co-pilot was sleep-deprived after helping his wife take care of their one-month-old twin babies.

An airport marshal directs a Batik Air jetliner on the tarmac during the launch ceremony of the airline at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 25, 2013. Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo

Indonesia’s Transport Ministry said on Saturday that it would conduct a review of night flight operations after two Batik Air pilots fell asleep mid-flight for nearly half an hour, causing the airplane to veer off course.

The incident happened on Jan. 25 when both pilots of flight BTK6723—operated by Batik Air—dozed off while the plane was en route from Kendari to Jakarta, with a total of 153 passengers on board.