Developing: Pakistani Plane Escorted by UK Fighter Jets — 2 Men Arrested

Listen to the Buck Sexton Show Live on TheBlaze Radio

US

Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Pilot Passes Out

Feb. 1, 2013 7:23am

PORTLAND, Ore. (TheBlaze/AP) — It was a passenger’s worst nightmare — but a situation that ended up having a happy ending. An Alaska Airlines jetliner bound for Seattle made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., Thursday night after the pilot lost consciousness, an airline spokesman said.

The co-pilot landed Flight 473 safely after declaring an emergency to get priority care for the pilot, spokesman Paul McElroy said. All of the airlines’ pilots are trained to fly single-handedly.

The pilot lost consciousness “somewhere over Oregon,” McElroy said, then later regained consciousness and left the cockpit. A doctor on board the flight tended to him in the cabin until the plane landed and was met by medical personnel on the runway.

The pilot, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital but there was no immediate word on his condition, McElroy said.

Alaska Airlines Pilot Passes Out Mid Flight, Co Pilot Diverts and Lands Safely

Photo Credit: Alaska Airlines

The Boeing 737-700 with 116 passengers and five crew members left Los Angeles about 6:30 p.m. and touched down in Portland at about 9 p.m. It had been due to arrive in Seattle at 9:30 p.m.

McElroy says the pilot has been flying for Alaska for 28 years and was current on his six-month medical evaluation. The co-pilot is an 11-year Alaska Air veteran.

On Jan. 22, the co-pilot on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Las Vegas fainted briefly, and the pilot requested emergency landing priority to get prompt medical assistance for him.

“At this point we do not believe there was a connection between the two incidents,” McElvoy said.

Twenty passengers with a tight schedule for connecting flights were put on a Horizon Air shuttle flight to Seattle on Thursday night, the spokesman said.

A new pilot was dispatched to Portland to fly the remaining passengers to Seattle on board the same plane.

Benghazi, IRS, AP...What's next? Only TheBlaze TV offers the truth from Glenn Beck, Andrew Wilkow, and Real News from TheBlaze. Get instant access and a free trial here.

Comments (10)

  • DMG8487
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 5:28pm

    What a poorly title article!

    How about: “First Officer makes solo landing after Captain becomes incapacitated”

    And this clearly was not a “passenger’s worst nightmare” by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve had engine failures with passengers on board and that is much more dangerous and would scare anyone more. Or, how about a fire onboard – that would truly qualify as a “worst nightmare” scenario – not this where there was still a fully capable crewmember in full control of the aircraft who simply had to make a premature landing.

    This is very week writing here Billy.

    Report this comment

    DMG8487  
  • RRFlyer
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 10:04am

    Did anyone really read the caption??? PLANE makes emergency landing. That’s like saying guns shoot people.

    Report this comment

    RRFlyer  
  • SuperSuineg
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 9:43am

    wtf is wrong with that wing…

    Report this comment

    SuperSuineg  
    • abeliever2010
      Posted on February 1, 2013 at 9:54am

      @SUPERSUING

      This is why our nation is in decline. People cannot, or will not, take the time to research and educate themselves prior to making observations, or asking questions that can be easily answered.

      Take a moment and educate yourself prior to posting. What as happened to our country? Does a majority now depend upon someone else for everything?

      http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2010/t_5.html

      Report this comment

      abeliever2010  
    • OngoingFreedom
      Posted on February 1, 2013 at 10:00am

      Rest assured the wing is in good shape.

      There are probably two things about that wing that look unusual to you. The first is the winglet and the second is seeing how the wing bends slightly while in flight. Winglets reduce drag and runway requirements, and improve fuel efficiency.

      Report this comment

      OngoingFreedom  
  • DZ-015
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 8:19am

    Would like to hear from a flight crew member in the audience concerning what the FAA regs require after an incident like this.

    Report this comment

    DZ-015  
  • DougHuffman
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 7:41am

    I wonder if either pilot is an armed member of the elite Federal Flight Deck Officer FFDO program?

    Report this comment

    DougHuffman  
  • Temporal
    Posted on February 1, 2013 at 7:29am

    It happens sometimes. That’s why there’s two pilots up front, not one and a computer.

    Report this comment

    Temporal  
    • Comcast3
      Posted on February 1, 2013 at 10:01am

      Unless you are on an airbus; pilots on those, do very little from takeoff to landings.

      Report this comment

      Comcast3  

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love