Naim 6 Report post Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) As I write this, the said plane should be landing 30min from now. Hope all goes well. === Updated: 13 minutes ago Airplane Captain Dies Mid-Flight Continental Airlines Flight 61 is expected at Newark Liberty Airport at noon By SHELLEY NG | wpix.com 11:15 AM EDT, June 18, 2009 NEWARK (WPIX) - The captain of an international flight has died mid-air, PIX News has learned. The captain was piloting a Boeing 777 for Continental Airlines Flight 61 from Brussels, Germany to Newark, New Jersey. The FAA stated they heard reports about the captain's death. However, neither the FAA nor Continental Airlines have confirmed the report. Two first officers on the plane have taken over the pilot's duties. The aircraft is expected to get special treatment upon landing, from the Newark Airport tower. Flight 61 is expected to land at Newark Liberty Airport at noon. Medical workers are standing by at the airport and will take custody of the captain's body upon the flight's arrival. A medical examiner will determine the captain's cause of death. Stay with PIX News for the latest on this developing story. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/transpor...0,2072408.story Edited June 18, 2009 by Naim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alif A. F. 0 Report post Posted June 18, 2009 Brussels, Germany? should be Belgium right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted June 18, 2009 Brussels, Germany? should be Belgium right? Hehe, yes, the website has corrected this: http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-captain-dies...0,3440229.story Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Li Ren 2 Report post Posted June 18, 2009 I strongly believe that the co-pilot can land the T7 safely even though without the supervision of the captain Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted June 18, 2009 Landed safely 15min ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KK Lee 5 Report post Posted June 18, 2009 May the Captain R.I.P. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted June 18, 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8107838.stm The captain apparently died of natural causes, a Continental Airlines spokesman told CNN. He was a 61-year-old man with more than 20 years of service to the airline, a spokesman for the airline said. Old man. What's the retirement age for pilots? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 The pilot's 61? I thought the retirement age for pilots is 60? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 FAA records show captain who died in Continental flight passed extensive physical in March by David Giambusso and Rohan Mascarenhas/The Star-Ledger Thursday June 18, 2009, 7:17 PM AP Photo/Westwood One/Metro NetworksContinental Flight 61 lands at Newark Liberty International Airport after the captain died mid-flight. NEWARK -- The announcement came over the loudspeaker about halfway into the Continental Airlines flight from Brussels to Newark, asking if there was a doctor on board. Julien Struyven, a cardiologist from Belgium, responded and was directed to the cockpit. When he entered, he found the pilot unconscious and unresponsive. "He was not alive," the 72-year-old physician said later, adding there was "no chance at all" of saving him. Struyven, who suspected the pilot had suffered a heart attack, said he used a defibrillator to try to revive him. Flight 61, with 247 passengers aboard, had taken off at 9:45 a.m. today, Brussels time, and landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport at noon, EDT, after two co-pilots took over for the captain, a 32-year veteran of the airline, said Julie King, a Continental spokeswoman. Continental has yet to identify the pilot. However, Lynda Lenell told KHOU-TV in Houston that it was her husband, 60-year-old Craig Lenell. "He was the kindest, gentlest man I've ever known. He would do anything for anyone," she said, adding that her husband had been in "perfect health." Lenell was based out of Newark, but lived in Flynn, Texas, about 90 miles north of Houston. Tom Donaldson, a former leader of the Continental pilots' union who currently flies Boeing 767 jets for the airline, said pilots must pass an extensive physical every six months to remain qualified to fly. The exam includes an electrocardiogram, blood pressure check and a vision test. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, Lenell passed a physical in March. A Boeing 777 generally requires a pilot and co-pilot to maneuver. But for long routes such as trans-Atlantic flights, a third pilot is aboard to permit the captain or first officer to take rest breaks. Donaldson said there is no specific training on how to react if a crew member becomes incapacitated, but any one of the three pilots is fully qualified to operate the jet. "Clearly you want another set of eyes watching when you're going down a checklist, but you're capable of flying the airplane yourself," he said. "You can put the gears down, put the flaps down and carry out your other duties by yourself in an emergency." Passengers said that aside from the call for medical assistance, they were unaware there was any trouble. "They asked for a doctor but that could be a lot of things," said Susan Morgan, 57, who was returning from a vacation. "A dead pilot wasn't what I expected." Passengers said the crew remained calm for the duration of the flight and continued to serve snacks and beverages Some, however, said they sensed flight attendants may have been shaken by something. "They were very professional but you could tell they were a little panicked," said Stephanie Mallis of Landsdown Pa. It was only after the plane had landed and emergency vehicles surrounded the aircraft that passengers realized something serious had happened. A medical crew rushed aboard and passengers were instructed to remain in their seats. "I was shocked. I was very shocked," Mallis said. Mijke van Dinther, who was travelling to New York from Holland for her honeymoon, said even at that point, passengers still had no idea the pilot had died. "When we arrived we had to wait for a long time, but I didn't know why," she said. Many passengers said they were grateful they had been kept in the dark. "They went about it the right way," DelCampo said of the flight crew. "It was a good landing." According to a 2004 FAA survey, cardiac incidents are among the most common "incapacitations" affecting pilots and age was a significant factor in medical situations among flight crews. According to the Federal Aviation Administration registry, Lenell had his last physical in March of this year. "Incapacitations significantly increased with age, with more serious categories in the older age groups," the report said. In 2007 Congress raised the retirement age of pilots from 60 to 65 years old, provided that pilots undergo a line check, or flight evaluation, every six months. The new law also mandates that a captain 60 years or older must have a co-pilot who is younger than 60. Continental declined to release the ages of the other pilots. Sharon Adarlo and the Associated Press contributed to this report. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/f...tain_who_d.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 Having to control the flight by only one pilot is one of training requirement, so there is no problem there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted June 20, 2009 Page last updated at 13:04 GMT, Friday, 19 June 2009 14:04 UK What happens when a pilot dies? The fact that a Continental airlines flight from Brussels to Newark landed safely, despite the death of the pilot, is no surprise, says David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine. That's what co-pilots are for, he says - to stand in for the pilot in case of emergency. - Do you need two pilots to land a passenger aeroplane? Aeroplanes are always landed single-handed - you cannot have two pilots struggling with the controls. It's decided at the beginning of every leg which pilot is going to do the flying and which will do the supporting. Flying the plane, making the radio calls and handling all the systems is a very busy job, but it can be done - and air traffic control will give every assistance to a pilot flying on his own, making the job a lot easier. A modern plane like the 777 can be flown from take-off to landing by a single pilot. In fact, all pilots are tested when they qualify to ensure they can handle a multi-engined jet on their own. The main reason for having two pilots is that something like this occasionally happens - though it's less common for a pilot to die than to be incapacitated by something like food-poisoning. Pilots and co-pilots are required to choose different meals from the in-flight menu for precisely this reason. - Can a plane be landed without any pilots at the controls? No. A system called autoland has been available to airlines since the 1960s but you have to tell it what to do next, where to go - up, down, left, right - you have to direct it. If there is someone on the flight deck to do that, the plane does not need to be flown - but it cannot be done from the ground. Also, planes cannot taxi and reach terminals by themselves. If both pilots died, you would just have to hope that there was someone else on hand with some experience of flying an aeroplane. - In this case there were three pilots on board, a pilot and two co-pilots. How common is that? It is essential on very long flights, Singapore to London say, to allow the pilot to have a break. It's not necessary on a regular transatlantic flight. It was probably just fortuitous they had an extra co-pilot, in this case. - Should the passengers have been told that the pilot had died? There was no reason to tell them because they were not exposed to any risk. They were not going to face an emergency landing. - Would the request for a doctor to come forward have alarmed passengers? Not necessarily. If the crew had drawn a curtain across the galley it may not have been obvious that the doctor was taken to the flight deck. It's another matter what the doctor would have told his neighbours when he returned to his seat. The crew will also have faced a decision whether to leave the dead pilot harnessed in his seat, or in one of the jump seats behind the pilots' seats, or to move him from the flight deck. There is not much room on the flight deck, but moving the body could have caused passengers some consternation. - The pilot who died was aged 60. At what age do pilots retire? They can keep flying until they are 65, but there is a rule that if one pilot is between 60 and 65 the other pilot has to be younger than 60. That is a standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation to reduce the risk of both pilots suffering health problems on the same flight. - How frequently do pilots undergo health checks? They have annual medical tests until they are 60. After that it's every six months. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8109327.stm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted June 20, 2009 - How frequently do pilots undergo health checks? They have annual medical tests until they are 60. After that it's every six months. 40, actually, the way it is practiced here in Malaysia. Don't think it is much different anywhere else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
