Crisis in the Cockpit: Three Airline Pilots 'Die Suddenly' in a Week! (Dr. Panda)

https://drpanda.substack.com/p/crisis-in-the-cockpit-three-airline

[This is why I'm reluctant to fly anywhere now]

Five cases of cardiac arrest among pilots this month! Four of them mid-flight.

DR PANDA
AUG 20, 2023

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Three pilot deaths in three days!

Last week we witnessed **3** major airline pilots “die suddenly” — two of them mid flight.
August 17, 2023 - An IndiGo pilot suffers cardiac arrest minutes before operating a flight.



August 16, 2023 - Qatar Flight QR 579 — Pilot suddenly fell ill and passed away 30 minutes before scheduled landing — flight was diverted to Dubai.


"He was very fit and his untimely demise has come as a big shock for everyone who knew him."

The pilot was traveling ‘off duty.’

August 14, 2023 — LATAM Flight LA505 Miami to Santiago, Chile — Captain collapses 2 hours into flight and dies in lavatory — copilot diverts to Panama City.




Back to back pilots dropping dead suddenly! But those weren’t the only pilot emergencies this month. We had two more in-flight health emergencies in August 2023. This is UNPRECEDENTED in aviation history.

August 9, 2023 — United Airlines flight UAL1309 from SRQ to EWR — the pilot suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness in-flight.



August 7, 2023 — TigerAir flight IT237 Japan to Taiwan — Immediately after landing the co-pilot suddenly felt ill and collapsed




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All of these pilots worked for airlines that had vaccine mandates in place. IndiGo even still requires masks during travel.






IndiGo
LATAM

More Recent Pilot Incapacitations in 2023:

07/19/23 - Eurowings Flight 4Y-1205 - Captain had a ‘sudden medical event’ and became incapacitated during approach to Frankfurt - First officer took control landed safely.


07/16/23 - Private Flight from Westchester, NY to Martha’s Vineyard - Pilot suffered a medical emergency on approach.


06/08/23 - Easyjet Flight U2-2143 - Captain became incapacitated and required medical assistance - the flight diverted to Split.


06/07/23 - Air Canada Flight AC-692 - During the flight, the First Officer became incapacitated. A deadheading Captain assumed the crew members duties and the aircraft landed without further incident.


05/11/23 - HiSky Europe Flight H4-474 - While climbing out of Dublin one of the pilots became incapacitated prompting the other pilot to divert the aircraft to Manchester, UK. The pilot was taken to a hospital.


05/04/23 - Tui Airways Flight BY-1424 - Pilot incapacitated, suddenly fell ill mid-flight. Flight returned to Newcastle.


04/21/23 - Easyjet Flight U2-6469 - Captain fell ill and became incapacitated inflight. Copilot diverts to Portugal.


04/04/23 - United Airlines UA-2102 - The first officer reported that he was the only one in control of the aircraft and that the captain was incapacitated. The aircraft landed in San Francisco.


03/25/23 - TAROM Flight RO-7673 - The first officer reported the captain had became incapacitated. The flight diverted to Bucharest. According to media reports in Bulgaria the captain (30 years of age) complained about chest pain and increased heart rate, then fell unconscious.


03/22/23 - Southwest Airlines Flight WN-6013 - Shortly after takeoff the captain became incapacitated. An off-duty pilot employed by another airline assisted with the landing. The flight returned to Las Vegas.


03/18/23 - Air Transat Flight TS-739 - About 200NM south of Montreal, the first officer reportedly became incapacitated. The aircraft landed in Montreal 30 minutes later.


03/13/23 - Emirates Flight EK-205 - Pilot became ill 1 hour and 30 minutes into flight. Flight returned to Milan after pilot needed "urgent medical treatment."


03/11/23 - United Airlines Flight UA-2007 - The first officer declared an emergency reporting the captain had become incapacitated and was complaining about chest pain. The flight diverted to Houston.


03/11/23 - British Airways - Pilot suffered a heart attack and died at the crew hotel hours before he was scheduled to fly a fully-loaded Airbus A321 from Cairo to Heathrow.


03/03/23 - VARA Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Flight VA-717 - The first officer suffered a heart attack and became incapacitated. The aircraft returned to Adelaide and the first officer was taken to the hospital.

Is this incredibly alarming to anyone else?