TWO CO-PILOTS on a Continental Airlines flight from Brussels to New York’s Newark airport had to take emergency action to land the Boeing 777 safely yesterday when the pilot died in mid-flight.
Continental flight 61, with 247 passengers on board, landed at Newark Liberty International Airport at 11.49am local time after an eight-hour flight. “The captain of Continental flight 61, which was en route from Brussels to Newark, died in flight, apparently of natural causes,” the airline said.
“The crew on this flight included an additional relief pilot who took the place of the deceased pilot. The flight continued safely with two pilots at the controls.”
The pilot (60) was based in Newark and had worked for Continental for 32 years. Passengers were not told of the pilot’s death in flight, according to reports, although an announcement was made asking if any doctors were aboard the aircraft. Several passengers are believed to have approached the cockpit.
The pilot probably died of a heart attack, news agency AP reported, citing a cardiologist, Julien Struyven, who said he examined the captain. Mr Struyven said he tried to use a defibrillator to revive the pilot, but there was “no chance” of saving him.
Pilot deaths during a flight are rare, said Robert Mann, a former executive at American Airlines and now-defunct Pan Am. “I don’t think it’s an age-related issue, just a statistical anomaly that’s bound to happen from time to time,” Mr Mann said.
Airlines are required to have a captain, a first officer and a relief pilot who is usually a first officer on all flights that are eight hours or longer, Mr Mann added. All of those pilots would be qualified to fly the aircraft, and, in many cases, all are qualified to land it, he said. –(Reuters/Bloomberg)