An off-duty pilot traveling on a US Southwest plane may have saved the lives of passengers on a flight by allowing the plane to land after the captain fell ill.
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The Boeing 737 was scheduled to depart from Las Vegas for Columbus on Wednesday when one of its pilots became “unable” to proceed following a medical emergency.
“A pilot from another airline entered the cockpit to handle radio communications while a Southwest pilot operated the vehicle,” a company spokesman said.
A nurse also came to the sick captain’s aid.
An audio message obtained by CNN shows that a member of the crew sounded the alarm, saying the captain was no longer able to conduct the flight.
“He’s in the back with a flight attendant, but we need to get him an ambulance fast,” he said.
The plane was able to turn around to land in Las Vegas.
Screenshot (Flight Aware)
A new crew is on board the plane to take passengers to Columbus.
Southwest said it’s normal “to request assistance from medical personnel traveling aboard an aircraft if an in-flight medical emergency arises.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. The government agency has issued several alerts to remind airlines and pilots to be “vigilant about safety instructions” following a series of dangerous events that have transpired in recent weeks.
According to information from the New York Post