Pilot dies after forced emergency landing at Boise airport
A United
Airlines flight bound from Seattle made an emergency landing Thursday after the
pilot suffered a heart attack. An airline spokesperson confirmed Friday that the
crew member has died, NBC's Tom Costello reports.
By Matthew DeLuca,
Staff Writer, NBC News
A pilot suffered an apparent heart attack in
midair aboard a United Airlines flight to Seattle on Thursday evening, and later
died after the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Boise, Idaho, a
hospital spokeswoman told NBC News.
A doctor and military personnel
reportedly attempted to save the pilot’s life by administering CPR amid a
dramatic scene, as another passenger rushed to help get the plane safely to the
ground.
The spokeswoman at Saint Alphonsus Hospital in Boise confirmed
the pilot’s death on Friday morning. United Airlines spokeswoman Christen David
said that the flight’s captain was the individual involved in an email to NBC
News.
The pilot was alive when he arrived at the local hospital but died
during the night while being treated, hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Krajnik told
the Associated Press.
“I am sad to confirm that our co-worker passed away
last night,” David said. “Our thoughts are with his family at this
time.”
Boise Airport spokeswoman Patti Miller told Reuters that the
airport received a call “at about 7:55 p.m. Mountain Time declaring an
emergency, they said the pilot had had a heart attack.” The plane landed less
than fifteen minutes later, Miller told the news service.
Passengers on
board the flight from Houston to Seattle said a doctor on board helped the
patient, and the co-pilot was heard telling air traffic controllers that chest
compressions were performed on the individual.
Passengers said two army
soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord on the flight assisted the doctor in
attempting to treat the patient before the arrival of first responders, NBC News
Seattle affiliate King 5 reported. A passenger who trains Boeing 737 pilots
aided the copilot as the plane made the emergency landing in Boise after the
unconscious pilot was removed from the cockpit, passengers said, according to
the station.
“United flight 1603 from Houston to Seattle diverted to
Boise, Idaho, tonight when a crew member experienced a medical emergency,”
United Airlines said in a statement Thursday night. “The flight landed safely,
and paramedics met the plane upon arrival and transported the crew member to the
hospital. We are working to re-accommodate customers as soon as
possible.”
The airport spokeswoman told Reuters that the plane’s
passengers got off the plane and waited for another pilot to take over the
flight. The flight landed in Seattle just after midnight local time.
The
737 had 161 passengers and six crew members on board. The name of the pilot has
not been released.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this
report.
This story was originally published on Fri Sep 27, 2013 4:40 AM
EDT.
Friday, September 27, 2013
13 Secrets Airline Pilots Won't Tell You
By LIZ VACCARIELLO , Reader's Digest:
"Good Morning America" is teaming up with Reader's Digest on a special series, " 13 Things Experts Won't Tell You." This month, Reader's Digest unveils the 13 secrets your airline pilot won't tell you that will change the way you fly, plus one bonus tip.
We asked 17 pilots from across the country to give us straight answers about maddening safety rules, inexplicable delays, the air and attitudes up there-and what really happens behind the cockpit door. What they told us will change the way you fly.
"We miss the peanuts too." -US Airways pilot, South Carolina
What You Don't Want to Know
"I'm constantly under pressure to carry less fuel than I'm comfortable with. Airlines are always looking at the bottom line, and you burn fuel carrying fuel. Sometimes if you carry just enough fuel and you hit thunderstorms or delays, then suddenly you're running out of gas and you have to go to an alternate airport." -Captain at a major airline
"Sometimes the airline won't give us lunch breaks or even time to eat. We have to delay flights just so we can get food." -First officer on a regional carrier
"We tell passengers what they need to know. We don't tell them things that are going to scare the pants off them. So you'll never hear me say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, we just had an engine failure,' even if that's true." -Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot, Phoenix
"The Department of Transportation has put such an emphasis on on-time performance that we pretty much aren't allowed to delay a flight anymore, even if there are 20 people on a connecting flight that's coming in just a little late." -Commercial pilot, Charlotte, N.C.
"The truth is, we're exhausted. Our work rules allow us to be on duty 16 hours without a break. That's many more hours than a truck driver. And unlike a truck driver, who can pull over at the next rest stop, we can't pull over at the next cloud." -Captain at a major airline
What We Want You to Know
"Some FAA rules don't make sense to us either. Like the fact that when we're at 39,000 feet going 400 miles an hour, in a plane that could hit turbulence at any minute, [flight attendants] can walk around and serve hot coffee and Chateaubriand. But when we're on the ground on a flat piece of asphalt going five to ten miles an hour, they've got to be buckled in like they're at NASCAR." -Jack Stephan, US Airways captain based in Annapolis, Md., who has been flying since 1984
"The two worst airports for us: Reagan National in Washington, D.C., and John Wayne in Orange County, Calif. You're flying by the seat of your pants trying to get in and out of those airports. John Wayne is especially bad because the rich folks who live near the airport don't like jet noise, so they have this noise abatement procedure where you basically have to turn the plane into a ballistic missile as soon as you're airborne." -Pilot, South Carolina
"At some airports with really short runways, you're not going to have a smooth landing no matter how good we are: John Wayne Airport; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Chicago Midway; and Reagan National." -Joe D'Eon, a pilot at a major airline who produces a podcast at flywithjoe.com
"I may be in uniform, but that doesn't mean I'm the best person to ask for directions in the airport. We're in so many airports that we usually have no idea." -Pilot for a regional carrier, Charlotte, N.C.
"This happens all the time: We'll be in Pittsburgh going to Philly, and there will be a weather delay. The weather in Pittsburgh is beautiful. Then I'll hear passengers saying, 'You know, I just called my friend in Philly, and it's beautiful there too,' like there's some kind of conspiracy or something. But in the airspace between Pittsburgh and Philly there's a huge thunderstorm." -Jack Stephan
"You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, pull up to its desk at the curb, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you're really on a regional airline. The regionals aren't held to the same safety standards as the majors: Their pilots aren't required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn't know that." -Captain at a major airline
"Most of the time, how you land is a good indicator of a pilot's skill. So if you want to say something nice to a pilot as you're getting off the plane, say 'Nice landing.' We do appreciate that." -Joe D'Eon
"No, it's not your imagination: Airlines really have adjusted their flight arrival times so they can have a better record of on-time arrivals. So they might say a flight takes two hours when it really takes an hour and 45 minutes." -AirTran Airways captain, Atlanta
"Good Morning America" is teaming up with Reader's Digest on a special series, " 13 Things Experts Won't Tell You." This month, Reader's Digest unveils the 13 secrets your airline pilot won't tell you that will change the way you fly, plus one bonus tip.
We asked 17 pilots from across the country to give us straight answers about maddening safety rules, inexplicable delays, the air and attitudes up there-and what really happens behind the cockpit door. What they told us will change the way you fly.
"We miss the peanuts too." -US Airways pilot, South Carolina
What You Don't Want to Know
"I'm constantly under pressure to carry less fuel than I'm comfortable with. Airlines are always looking at the bottom line, and you burn fuel carrying fuel. Sometimes if you carry just enough fuel and you hit thunderstorms or delays, then suddenly you're running out of gas and you have to go to an alternate airport." -Captain at a major airline
"Sometimes the airline won't give us lunch breaks or even time to eat. We have to delay flights just so we can get food." -First officer on a regional carrier
"We tell passengers what they need to know. We don't tell them things that are going to scare the pants off them. So you'll never hear me say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, we just had an engine failure,' even if that's true." -Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot, Phoenix
"The Department of Transportation has put such an emphasis on on-time performance that we pretty much aren't allowed to delay a flight anymore, even if there are 20 people on a connecting flight that's coming in just a little late." -Commercial pilot, Charlotte, N.C.
"The truth is, we're exhausted. Our work rules allow us to be on duty 16 hours without a break. That's many more hours than a truck driver. And unlike a truck driver, who can pull over at the next rest stop, we can't pull over at the next cloud." -Captain at a major airline
What We Want You to Know
"Some FAA rules don't make sense to us either. Like the fact that when we're at 39,000 feet going 400 miles an hour, in a plane that could hit turbulence at any minute, [flight attendants] can walk around and serve hot coffee and Chateaubriand. But when we're on the ground on a flat piece of asphalt going five to ten miles an hour, they've got to be buckled in like they're at NASCAR." -Jack Stephan, US Airways captain based in Annapolis, Md., who has been flying since 1984
"The two worst airports for us: Reagan National in Washington, D.C., and John Wayne in Orange County, Calif. You're flying by the seat of your pants trying to get in and out of those airports. John Wayne is especially bad because the rich folks who live near the airport don't like jet noise, so they have this noise abatement procedure where you basically have to turn the plane into a ballistic missile as soon as you're airborne." -Pilot, South Carolina
"At some airports with really short runways, you're not going to have a smooth landing no matter how good we are: John Wayne Airport; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Chicago Midway; and Reagan National." -Joe D'Eon, a pilot at a major airline who produces a podcast at flywithjoe.com
"I may be in uniform, but that doesn't mean I'm the best person to ask for directions in the airport. We're in so many airports that we usually have no idea." -Pilot for a regional carrier, Charlotte, N.C.
"This happens all the time: We'll be in Pittsburgh going to Philly, and there will be a weather delay. The weather in Pittsburgh is beautiful. Then I'll hear passengers saying, 'You know, I just called my friend in Philly, and it's beautiful there too,' like there's some kind of conspiracy or something. But in the airspace between Pittsburgh and Philly there's a huge thunderstorm." -Jack Stephan
"You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, pull up to its desk at the curb, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you're really on a regional airline. The regionals aren't held to the same safety standards as the majors: Their pilots aren't required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn't know that." -Captain at a major airline
"Most of the time, how you land is a good indicator of a pilot's skill. So if you want to say something nice to a pilot as you're getting off the plane, say 'Nice landing.' We do appreciate that." -Joe D'Eon
"No, it's not your imagination: Airlines really have adjusted their flight arrival times so they can have a better record of on-time arrivals. So they might say a flight takes two hours when it really takes an hour and 45 minutes." -AirTran Airways captain, Atlanta
I'm not known for being a patient man...I get angry as soon as I step foot into an airport. Everything about it is inefficient. If it's a 6 hour drive or less you can find my in a car.
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