One of the pilots suffered a medical emergency and an off-duty captain entered the Southwest cockpit to help fly the plane
The FAA is investigating the unusual case on the flight between Las Vegas and Columbus, a nurse who was on board the plane gave the pilot emergency care until the moment of landing back in Las Vegas
An off-duty pilot aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Columbus entered the cockpit to help fly the plane after one of the pilots suffered a medical emergency mid-flight.
“The captain has become incapacitated. He’s in the back of the plane right now with a flight attendant, but we need to get him into an ambulance immediately,” one crew member told air traffic control, according to LiveATC.
Later, company spokesman Chris Perry told CNN that “a certified pilot from another airline, who was on board, entered the flight deck and assisted with radio communication while our pilot was flying the plane.”
A nurse who also happened to be on board helped treat the incapacitated pilot, the airline said, adding “It is standard procedure for our flight crews to request assistance from passengers who are medical personnel during in-flight medical incidents involving customers. The situation this time involved treating one of our employees in an accident “.
According to FlightAware.com, the plane was in the air for about an hour and 17 minutes.
After making his way back to the Las Vegas airport, a backup crew boarded the plane and continued to Columbus as planned.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
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