USA: Pilot Dies During Flight From Phoenix To Boston

An American Airlines pilot died mid-flight on Monday en route from Phoenix to Boston, forcing his co-pilot to make an emergency landing while trying to summon medical help for the stricken captain.

“Unfortunately our pilot passed away. We are incredibly saddened by this event, and we are focused on caring for our pilot’s family and colleagues,” an American Airlines spokesperson told the Guardian.

Flight 550 was diverted to Syracuse Hancock international airport after the pilot became ill. The plane landed safely shortly after 7am EDT with the co-pilot in control.

There were 147 passengers and a crew of five on board the Airbus A320.

Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for the airline, said a replacement crew was sent to Syracuse and the plane later completed its trip to Boston.

Before the flight landed at Syracuse the first officer called the airport tower and said in a calm voice: “American 550. Medical emergency. Captain is incapacitated.” He requested a runway to land.

In a recording of his exchange with the tower, the officer expressed concern whether ambulance medics could get on the plane quickly. He was assured they could and told to go into a gate where the medics would meet the plane.

The pilot’s medical emergency and identity were not disclosed.

Aviation experts said there was never any danger to passengers because pilots and co-pilots are equally capable of flying the aircraft.

Former airline pilot John Cox, an aviation safety consultant, said when one pilot became unable to fly the other could rely on help from the plane’s automated systems and get priority treatment from air traffic controllers.

“The passengers were not in danger, absolutely not,” he said.

Passenger Louise Anderson, who was heading from Reno, Nevada, to Boston via Phoenix, said she had dozed off on the flight.

“What I woke up to was the flight attendant telling us we were making an emergency landing because the pilot was ill,” she said.

She said rumours of the pilot’s death circulated in the Syracuse airport but were confirmed only by an announcement on their makeup flight to Boston.

Anderson said the mood on board then was somber but she commended the crew’s handling of a tragic situation.

Airline pilots must pass physical exams every 12 months – or every six months for captains 40 or older.

Steve Wallace, who led the Federal Aviation Administration’s accident investigations office from 2000 to 2008, said it was rare for a pilot to become incapacitated. According to the FAA seven pilots for US airlines and one charter pilot have died during flights since 1994.

Captains and co-pilots usually took turns flying and doing takeoffs and landings, said former airline pilot James Record, who teaches aviation at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York.

“The advantage to that is the co-pilot gets an equal amount of experience and the captain gets to see how the other guy flies,” he said.

Record noted the co-pilot remained calm while describing the emergency and requesting permission from air traffic controllers to land.

“He was doing what he’s trained to do fly the plane,” Record said. “He was probably more concerned with the health of his buddy, his crew member [than whether he could land on his own].”

Modern airliners are capable of largely flying themselves but there is debate in aviation circles about whether over-reliance on automation is eroding pilots’ flying skills.