Posted on: March 23, 2023, 05:33h.
Last updated on: March 23, 2023, 05:33h.
An off-duty pilot flying as a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight assisted in landing a plane in Las Vegas after a regular pilot fell ill on Wednesday.
The Southwest plane had left Harry Reid International Airport in the early morning and was heading to Columbus, Ohio. At 6:33 a.m., a pilot suffered a medical emergency which was described as including stomach pain and fainting, ABC News reported.
During the flight, someone told ground crew over the radio the pilot was stricken and “became incapacitated,” a monitored radio transmission from the plane revealed.
He is in the back of the aircraft right now with the flight attendants. But we need to get him on an ambulance immediately,” the flight crew announced in a radio broadcast, according to ABC.
A nurse on the flight helped to treat the ill pilot.
He apparently was transported to a hospital upon landing in Las Vegas. His condition as of Thursday wasn’t immediately available. It’s unclear what caused his illness.
Off-Duty Pilot Handled Communications
With the help of the unnamed off-duty pilot, the plane was able to return to Harry Reid Airport. That pilot worked for a different airline.
He went into the cockpit and assisted with radio communications while a second Southwest pilot flew the plane, the report said.
“We commend the crew for their superb airmanship and professionalism in the handling of