Plane with dead pilot lands safely in Newark, NJ

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In summary: If you read the article they said that both copilots on these long flights are qualified to land individually. So they... didn't need the captain.
  • #1
EnumaElish
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"Airline spokeswoman Kelly Cripe says the pilot died of natural causes Thursday on the flight from Brussels, Belgium, to Newark."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090618/ap_on_re_us/us_pilot_dies

I wonder whether this was announced to the passengers?
 
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  • #2
EnumaElish said:
I wonder whether this was announced to the passengers?
They weren't told.
your own link said:
Passengers weren't told of the pilot's death in flight.
 
  • #3
but the jet landed safely with two co-pilots at the controls.
Just a brief whine - it really annoys pilots (or at least first officers) to be called co-pilots!
There are two pilots on any passenger aircraft with more than 16(?) seats.
They are both fully qualified to fly the plane and both do fly on each trip.
The one in the left seat is called the captain and the one in the right seat* is the first officer. The captain has merely been with the company for longer - he may have less flying time on that particular type or even less overall experience than the first officer.

* - the order is because of the side a cavalry soldier carries his sword!
 
  • #4
No, just read the article
 
  • #5
I guess it was just blind luck that one of the co-pilots knew how to land the plane.
 
  • #6
Andre said:
No, just read the article
I had, but it was a shorter version (< 10 sentences) and did not mention anything significant other than "natural causes" and "safely landed by co-pilot."

I wonder whether the no announcement decision was by policy or discretion?

BTW, the "co-pilot" has been promoted to "relief pilot."
 
  • #7
jimmysnyder said:
I guess it was just blind luck that one of the co-pilots knew how to land the plane.

So true. Most co-pilots are only qualified in making sure the pilot doesn't fall asleep although not trained into making sure the pilot doesn't die. I think they should includedthat in the training.
 
  • #8
mgb_phys said:
Just a brief whine - it really annoys pilots (or at least first officers) to be called co-pilots
I don't mind being a co-PF member.
 
  • #9
humanino said:
I don't mind being a co-PF member.
I wonder if an abcissa minds being called a co-ordinate.
 
  • #10
Shouldn't the title of the thread have been "Plane with two live pilots lands safely in Newark, NJ?" Kinda takes the "gee whiz" element out of play...
 
  • #11
turbo-1 said:
Shouldn't the title of the thread have been "Plane with two live pilots lands safely in Newark, NJ?" Kinda takes the "gee whiz" element out of play...

Yeah, when this story came out, I didn't really know why it was a story at all. It's not like the flight was landed by a stewardess or passenger. There were still two qualified pilots on board who took over. There was never any danger to the passengers, and people do have a tendency to die eventually, and sometimes that's going to be on an overseas flight. I thought it was a bigger deal when I was on an overseas flight and over half of the flight crew came down with food poisoning about halfway. The remaining crew, who didn't eat at the same restaurant as the others the night before, had to juggle responsibilities between servicing all the cabins and helping tend to the sick crew members who were lying down in the back of the plane and had claimed all of the aft lavatories (not that I think anyone would have really wanted to use them after they had). You know something bad is happening on a flight when more than one medical doctor is summoned mid-flight. Of course, we had to be told what was going on, partly so we'd know to avoid the aft lavatories, and partly because they only assumed it was food poisoning during the flight because everyone sick had eaten together, but had to let the passengers know to report to the airline if they came down with similar symptoms in the next week, in case it was something else contagious.
 
  • #12
turbo-1 said:
Shouldn't the title of the thread have been "Plane with two live pilots lands safely in Newark, NJ?" Kinda takes the "gee whiz" element out of play...

The famous BBC headline "Small earthquake in Peru -- not many injured".
They try and avoid sensationalist reporting - looks like they succeeded.
 
  • #13
Moonbear said:
I thought it was a bigger deal when I was on an overseas flight and over half of the flight crew came down with food poisoning about halfway.

I saw a movie where that happened. "Man, that honkey mus' be messin' my old lady got to be runnin' col' upsihd down his head!"
 
  • #14
A hospital - what is it?
A large building with patients, but that's not important right now!

Classic.
 
  • #15
JasonRox said:
So true. Most co-pilots are only qualified in making sure the pilot doesn't fall asleep although not trained into making sure the pilot doesn't die. I think they should includedthat in the training.

If you read the article they said that both copilots on these long flights are qualified to land individually. So they have 3 people who are all individually qualified to land the plane if the other 2 die...
 
  • #16
junglebeast said:
If you read the article they said that both copilots on these long flights are qualified to land individually. So they have 3 people who are all individually qualified to land the plane if the other 2 die...
Except on Airbus where the flight engineer has been replaced by a dog. The dog's job is to bite the pilot if he touches the controls and the pilot's job is to feed the dog.
 
  • #17
mgb_phys said:
Except on Airbus where the flight engineer has been replaced by a dog. The dog's job is to bite the pilot if he touches the controls and the pilot's job is to feed the dog.

Chuckle... :smile:
 
  • #18
junglebeast said:
If you read the article they said that both copilots on these long flights are qualified to land individually. So they have 3 people who are all individually qualified to land the plane if the other 2 die...

I guess mgb_phys isn't the only one who needs an irony/sarcasm alert in his signature line. :rolleyes: :tongue:
 
  • #19
Communicating usually works better with me if you just think of me as an unusually talkative computer...
 
  • #20
junglebeast said:
Communicating usually works better with me if you just think of me as an unusually talkative computer...

:rofl: Check!
 
  • #21
junglebeast said:
If you read the article they said that both copilots on these long flights are qualified to land individually. So they have 3 people who are all individually qualified to land the plane if the other 2 die...

Yeah, they are "qualified"...

It was a joke post anyways. :P
 

1. What caused the pilot's death?

The cause of the pilot's death could be due to a number of factors, such as a medical emergency, a malfunction in the plane's systems, or external factors like a bird strike or extreme weather conditions. An investigation would need to be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

2. How did the plane land safely without a pilot?

Planes are designed with a variety of safety features, including autopilot systems and backup systems that can assist in flying and landing the plane in case of emergency. Additionally, air traffic controllers are trained to assist in emergency situations and can provide guidance to the plane's crew, or in this case, the co-pilot, to safely land the plane.

3. Was anyone else injured during the landing?

It is possible that passengers or crew members may have sustained minor injuries during the landing, especially if the plane was not able to land smoothly. However, in this particular situation, it seems that the co-pilot was able to successfully land the plane without any reported injuries.

4. What happens to the plane after the landing?

After landing, the plane will be inspected for any damage and undergo maintenance checks before being cleared for future flights. The deceased pilot's body will also be removed from the plane and transported to a medical facility for further examination.

5. How common are incidents like this?

Fortunately, incidents where a plane lands safely without a pilot are very rare. Pilots undergo rigorous training and are required to undergo regular medical check-ups to ensure they are fit to fly. In the rare event of a pilot's death, there are protocols in place to ensure the safety of passengers and the successful landing of the plane.

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