American Airlines Pilot Dies during Flight

 

An unexpected tragedy occured yesterday on board an American Airlines flight - their pilot died mid-flight, forcing his co-pilot to make an emergency landing in Syracuse. There were 147 passengers and a crew of five on board the Airbus A320 and it's being reported that the pilot began to feel ill while on board.


Those on board knew something was wrong when a woman's "quivering" voice came over the intercom, alerting them the pilot was sick.

  Thankfully, pilots and co-pilots take turns when flying, so the co-pilot was more than capable of handling the situation with ease and securing the safety of the passengers. He called the airport tower and said in a calm voice: “American 550. Medical emergency. Captain is incapacitated.” before requesting 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. Their flight made a rapid descent, arrived Syracuse and firefighters there responded to the unconscious pilot on the airplane. Passengers waited for the body to be removed and finally made it to Boston after noon, nearly five hours after their scheduled time.