Recreational pilot helps fly plane after first officer fell ill mid-flight

  • An off-duty pilot stepped in to help fly a Boeing 737 after the first officer fell ill.
  • The unemployed pilot was a passenger on a Westjet flight from Calgary to Vancouver.
  • Pilots are trained for emergencies and flights always have multiple pilots for safety.

An off-duty pilot stepped in and helped fly and land a Boeing 737 when the plane’s first officer suddenly became incapacitated mid-flight.

The transport website Paddle your own Kanoo first reported that the incident occurred on a WestJet flight from Calgary, Alberta, to Vancouver, British Columbia, on the morning of December 4. WestJet confirmed the incident to Business Insider, saying it occurred during the flight WS129.

The idle pilot was known to the crew and could be called upon to help fly the Boeing 737. The first officer then sat in the cabin for the remainder of the flight.

“During the cruise, the first officer reported feeling ill and was unable to continue his duties. One of the passengers on board was a Westjet pilot who was able to assume the duties of the first officer,” a preliminary said report of the Canadian Transportation Safety Board. according to The Aviation Herald.

“The incapacitated first officer sat in the cockpit for the remainder of the flight. The flight crew did not declare an emergency or request priority handling,” the report added.

“The aircraft remained fully crewed throughout the journey and landed safely in Vancouver,” WestJet said in a statement.

If a pilot becomes ill, airlines usually declare an emergency and land the plane as soon as possible.

Two retired US pilots, Kent Davis and Mark Stephens, previously told BI that it is “not a big deal” when pilots get sick during a flight because they are trained to handle these situations.

Stephens said there are usually at least two pilots on domestic flights, while international flights may have two pilots and two captains.

“Pilots know what they’re doing and they do it repeatedly,” he said.

Sometimes pilots get more seriously ill. In July, an Airbus A320 from London Luton Airport to Lisbon carrying almost 200 passengers was met by paramedics on landing after the co-pilot passed out mid-air.

“The captain landed the flight routinely in accordance with procedures and passengers disembarked normally,” an airline spokesperson told BI at the time. “At no time was the safety of the aircraft compromised.”

In October, it was reported that a Turkish Airlines captain died mid-air on a flight from Seattle to Istanbul and that the flight was diverted to an emergency landing in New York.

“After the initial medical intervention on board proved ineffective, the flight crew, consisting of a captain and a co-pilot, decided to make an emergency landing,” an airline spokesman said at the time.

A pilot named Ken Allen told BI that he suffered an aneurysm while flying a small plane with a friend and a passenger. He fell unconscious and instead the passenger managed to land the plane safely.

Stephens, one of the retired US pilots, told BI that there are procedures in place for life-threatening situations. Flight attendants are trained in CPR and have defibrillators, and many planes have a direct line to medical staff.