Pilot Dies During Transatlantic Flight

[King Cantona]

Of natural causes apparently, only 61 though:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Pilot-Dies-While-Flying-Continental-Passenger-Plane/Article/200906315311760

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Whoa.

That had to be a harrowing experience for the rest of the crew, too.

Prayers to his family.

[MrShotShot]

all of the media accounts I've heard today seem to express shock and surprise that the co-pilot landed the plane - isn't that his job?

[countmein]

You all want to hear something really weird? This was a Continental flight, which brings back memories. You see, I was on a plane landing at Stapleton back in November of 87. We had been in a holding pattern for a long time, in a complete white out, and while we were landing, (I mean you could SEE the runway, we were so close) our plane went straight back up into the air, 90 degree angle, throw you back in your seat straight back. 20 minutes later the pilot came on to welcome us to Colorado Springs Airport. WTH? Found out after leaving the plane that another Continental Flight had crashed on takeoff just as we were landing. The pilot was ordered to abort our landing and was diverted to CSA. My uncle was a camera man for the local news station. He called my aunt and told her that he just got the call to go to the airport because of a plane crash. What plane crashed? All he knew was that it was Continental, not if it was coming in or going out. No flight number or anything. My family knew that I was arriving at that time on Continental. It was rough on them until he arrived and found out that it was a plane taking off and not mine that was landing. Now for the really weird part.......that was almost 22 years ago and I JUST found out a week or two ago that 20 some-odd people died during that crash. All these years, I never learned, never knew that people actually died that day. I was practically there, lived in Littleton, my uncle worked for the news station, and I didn't learn until here recently what had happened to those people. I don't know if my aunt and uncle somewhat kept that news from me because I was pretty shook up at the time, or we just never talked about it after that night. I don't remember seeing anything on the news, maybe because I didn't want to. I just remember reading an old news article a couple of weeks ago and sitting here in shock. How could I have lived through all that and not known all that happened?

[KMN]

all of the media accounts I've heard today seem to express shock and surprise that the co-pilot landed the plane - isn't that his job?


I thought the same thing. It's like people think they're just backseat drivers or something, lol.

[CountryGirl]

all of the media accounts I've heard today seem to express shock and surprise that the co-pilot landed the plane - isn't that his job?

I'm right with ya' on that as I wondered, too. The first headline I saw said that PASSENGERS assisted with the plane!

It was sounding like a bad, bad movie.

[LouC]

KMOX Radio, CBS National News, out of St Louis was reporting on this as it happened and kept repeating that this is one of the reasons that there are two full fledged pilots on board the pilot and CO-pilot.

They didn't do what you guys are relating.

[LouC]

You all want to hear something really weird? This was a Continental flight, which brings back memories...

Continental Airlines Flight 1713.

82 people lived by some miracle.

Tragic.

That had to be horrid for your family.

[RVM]

I'm right with ya' on that as I wondered, too. The first headline I saw said that PASSENGERS assisted with the plane!

It was sounding like a bad, bad movie.

There was also another pilot on board, besides the co-pilot, who then sat at the controls. Plus one of the passengers was a cardiologist who pronounced the pilot dead after trying to resuscitate him using a defibrillator.

It's a shame the pilot died but it doesn't seem the passengers were in as much danger as the headlines would have you believe.

[Rohn]

I think the cable channels were really hurting for a news story today. How was that breaking news? He died of a heart attack? No problems with the flight, the passengers weren't aware of what had happened, and the plane landed safely. I'm sure there are more important things going on in DC, don't you?

[King Cantona]

I think the cable channels were really hurting for a news story today. How was that breaking news? He died of a heart attack? No problems with the flight, the passengers weren't aware of what had happened, and the plane landed safely. I'm sure there are more important things going on in DC, don't you?

Not in Newark................;)....................

To anyone from Newark, only kidding...........

[MrShotShot]

Some of the passengers are upset that they weren't told. Just what we need, a couple hundred freaked out passengers for absolutely no reason at all.

I was on a Memphis to Charlotte once when a woman tried to kill herself - couldn't really keep that one from the rest of passengers, especially after the blood curdling scream.

[FidelisAdMortem]

Those passengers can get a kick into reality then.

Wah I want to know wah.

[hatman]

My prayers go out to his friends and family.

On 777's both the pilots and co-pilots are highly experienced, not to mention a triple 7's capabilities. There was never any real danger. Having a third pilot on board was icing on the cake.