Pilot Dies During Flight

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Ricardodaforce

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Just read this on CNN. An American Airlines domestic flight was diverted earlier today after the pilot died. What a horrible situation for the co-pilot to deal with.
 
Tragic but not as dramatic as it seems from the movies, if the co-pilot was unable to land it, which it seems he was, it can be done on autopilot and diverted
to the nearest airport
 
Co-pilots are also fully qualified to fly the 'planes, and land them, as this one did.
Whilst he was co-pilot on this flight, on other flights he'll be the senior pilot.
In reality no one on the flight was ever in danger, though I'm sure it all seemed very dramatic.

A sad thing for his family, and a rarish occurrence.
 
Perhaps he died doing what he loved so there could be worse ways to go
 
The hospital? What is it?
It's a large white building with patients but that's not important right now.

Now where did I put my tablets
 
not nice...
But that is one reason why they have co-pilots.
Fortunately this is also a very very rare event.

Far more of a problem in light aircraft with no co-pilot, and more common, as there are far more older light aircraft pilots.
 
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Gremlin said:
if the co-pilot was unable to land it, which it seems he was, it can be done on autopilot and diverted
to the nearest airport
Click to expand...

I have no idea why the F/O wouldn't be able to land it, but it's not quite as simple as 'autopilot doing it'. It's true, once in the air a plane can fly and land itself on autopilot but you need a Cat3 ILS-equipped airport/runway (which not all are) and it needs to be programmed into the computer beforehand. If it isn't programmed in there and both captain and first officer are somehow incapacitated then they're pretty screwed unless someone else on board has a knowledge of such things.

viv1969 said:
Whilst he was co-pilot on this flight, on other flights he'll be the senior pilot.
Click to expand...

Not true. First officer and captain are distinctly different positions.
 
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And to think that the Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary, suggested a few years back that short-haul flights should be allowed to fly with only one pilot. His reasoning being that in the last ten years only one pilot had suffered a heart attack mid-air and he was able to land his plane!

I'm all for cost saving but when the cost saving is putting people in danger then it's gone too far.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2010/sep/08/ryanair-axe-unnecessary-co-pilots
 
Leslie said:
And to think that the Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary, suggested a few years back that short-haul flights should be allowed to fly with only one pilot. His reasoning being that in the last ten years only one pilot had suffered a heart attack mid-air and he was able to land his plane!

I'm all for cost saving but when the cost saving is putting people in danger then it's gone too far.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2010/sep/08/ryanair-axe-unnecessary-co-pilots
Click to expand...

It's best not to pay too much attention to what O'Leary tells the media! :)
 
PMN said:
I have no idea why the F/O wouldn't be able to land it, but it's not quite as simple as 'autopilot doing it'. It's true, once in the air a plane can fly and land itself on autopilot but you need a Cat3 ILS-equipped airport/runway (which not all are) and it needs to be programmed into the computer beforehand. If it isn't programmed in there and both captain and first officer are somehow incapacitated then they're pretty screwed unless someone else on board has a knowledge of such things..
Click to expand...

Things must have changed over the past few years. I have a friend who is top commercial pilot who demonstrated this to me on a flight simulator. I was impressed as l had no idea it could be done, mind you the emergency stop on landing in a 747 is quite impressive
 
PMN said:
If it isn't programmed in there and both captain and first officer are somehow incapacitated then they're pretty screwed unless someone else on board has a knowledge of such things.
Click to expand...

If I was in such situation, when air hostess asks "Is there anyone who know how to fly a plane." I'd say yes. After all, I've got a few hours on MS Flight Simulator.

Let's face it, if you are in such situation and there's no one who actually has the training to take the controls, you might as well give it a go yourself. Most of us know the fundamentals. There's no point strapped to your seat and wish for the best.
 
In one of the many mimeographed joke sheets that used to circulate before e-mails and facebook existed was a list of pilot complaints/fault reports and engineer replies, including "AutoLand not working." with the reply "Auto Land never fitted to this type."
 
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Nod said:
In one of the many mimeographed joke sheets that used to circulate before e-mails and facebook existed was a list of pilot complaints/fault reports and engineer replies, including "AutoLand not working." with the reply "Auto Land never fitted to this type."
Click to expand...

Same sheet with "outer right engine missing" - "Engine found on wing after brief search"
and
"Centre console comms unit humming" - "Comms unit programmed with words"

etc?

and who can forget this old classic:

This is based on an actual radio conversation between a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier (U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln) and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995. (The radio conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on 10/10/95 authorized by the Freedom of Information Act.)

Canadians: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid collision.

Americans: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.

Canadians: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians: No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.

Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES’ ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH–I SAY AGAIN, THAT’S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH–OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
That's the one, Keith!
 
wuyanxu said:
If I was in such situation, when air hostess asks "Is there anyone who know how to fly a plane." I'd say yes. After all, I've got a few hours on MS Flight Simulator.

Let's face it, if you are in such situation and there's no one who actually has the training to take the controls, you might as well give it a go yourself. Most of us know the fundamentals. There's no point strapped to your seat and wish for the best.
Click to expand...

pass me a parachute quick :eek:
l was trying to fly a full size simulator owned by BA , totally different to the computer ones
 
PMN said:
Not true. First officer and captain are distinctly different positions.
Click to expand...

Yes I know, but I've known plenty of captains serve as co-pilots to other captains on commercial flights.
 
PMN said:
Of course but that isn't how it is for most commercial flights. The way you worded it implied it was.
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Forgive me.
 
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