Pilot Thought Co-Pilot Who Suffered Cardiac Arrest Was Joking, Continued Flying Beside Lifeless Body

UK Pilot Continued Flying Beside Dead Body Of Colleague Who Suffered Cardiac Arrest

Medical incidents can occur during a flight from time to time. Such incidents flying under the radar, however, are practically unheard of.

Unfortunately, this was the case recently in the United Kingdom (UK), where an airplane was on a short trip over Blackpool, a seaside resort in Lancashire, England.

During the ill-fated flight, a pilot suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away.

However, the second pilot continued the journey, believing his co-worker was joking.

UK pilot flew beside co-pilot who had cardiac arrest in cockpit

BBC reports that the 57-year-old passed a medical test four months before agreeing to fly a Piper PA-28-161 light aircraft with a co-pilot around Blackpool Airport on 29 Jun 2022.

According to a safety report on the incident by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), he was asked to join the flight for safety reasons due to windy conditions.

During the taxi, the pilot who survived had been conversing normally with his colleague, BBC reports.

The other man was a flight instructor as well. During the conversation, he had stated, “Looks good, there is nothing behind you,” before his head rolled back.

As they knew each other well, the pilot assumed his friend was pretending to nap. The plane then took a turn, and the man slumped over, his head resting on the pilot’s shoulder.

Continuing to think he was still joking around, the pilot remained on his route.

Landing “normally”, the pilot realised something was wrong when his co-pilot remained unresponsive and called emergency services. However, medical personnel were unable to revive him.

Was in good spirits before flight

The deceased had nearly 9,000 hours of flying experience, CNN reports. He had been in good spirits before the flight.

“People who had spoken to him on the morning of the incident said he was his normal cheerful self, and there were no indications that he was feeling unwell,” the AAIB report stated.

The three people who had flown with him for the trial lesson just prior to the incident flight said he seemed well and nothing abnormal had occurred.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s medical department reviewed the matter and concluded that the instructor had likely suffered an acute cardiac arrest and passed away.

While he had a history of high blood pressure, it was within regulatory limits.

Outcome could have been different on alternative flight

The Civil Aviation Authority further stated that they have constantly reviewed health guidance.

The AAIB concluded that current medical assessments were acceptable, but risks were always possible, and they can “never be reduced to zero”.

The deceased pilot was also flying with a qualified pilot who had been able to land the plane safely. However, it noted that the outcome “could have been different” on another flight.

“A balance needs to be struck between minimising the risk to flight safety and providing a fair and reasonable medical assessment of individuals,” the AAIB said.

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Featured image adapted from CNN for illustration purposes only.