An American Airlines pilot died mid-flight after experiencing a medical emergency Monday morning, airline officials said.
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The co-pilot landed the flight safely, the airline said.
Spokeswoman for American Airlines, Andrea Huguely, told the Associated Press that when the captain fell ill, the first officer took over the plane. He requested a runway to land.
Cacciola was among the 147 passengers and five crew members aboard Flight 550 when it took off around midnight, heading from the Southwest to the Northeast.
American Airlines released a statement to that said, “Unfortunately, our captain passed away”.
They were later informed of the pilot’s death on the makeup flight to Boston.
“We pulled in pretty quick, and you could see the fire trucks, ambulances already at the gate”, said Rob Hand, 25, whose flight from Phoenix to Boston was supposed to be the last leg of a long journey from the Lake Tahoe area. We couldn’t be more proud of the teamwork this crew showed during an extremely hard time. Another crew was sent to Syracuse to fly the plane to its Boston destination.
The co-pilot landed the plane after the mid-air emergency while desperate colleagues unsuccessfully tried to revive the captain.
American Airlines Group Inc. has named Michael Johnston as the pilot who died midway through a Phoenix-to-Boston flight Monday.
She said the mood on board then was somber, but commended the crew’s handling of the situation.
Airline pilots get two physicals per year after 40 years old, as required by the FAA and are typically healthy people, said John Cox, a former airline pilot and now a consultant as head of Safety Operating Systems.
The Guardian quoted another passenger named Louise Anderson as saying that she awoke to the announcement that there was going to be an emergency landing due to pilot illness.
“We will need to get them to get to the captain”.
He went on to fly 737 and 757 aircraft before he became a captain piloting the A320, Parker said. “Our thoughts are definitely with the crew member’s friends and family…”
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One passenger on board the flight took to Twitter to express her sadness at what had happened. There is a debate in aviation circles about whether over-reliance on automation is eroding the manual flying skills of pilots.
