On Lufthansa’s flight LH403 on November 18, the Co-Pilot on the flight from Newark to Frankfurt fell ill with a serious migraine which left the aircraft to be piloted by only the captain. Although it is perfectly safe to have only one pilot fly the aircraft, having someone in the cockpit to assist no doubt helps, especially should something happen to the remaining pilot.
Everything worked out well, as a passenger who happens to be a 767 pilot (who is also certified for the 747) for a US based carrier was on board and offered to assist the Captain.
Due to the nature of the medical emergency, the flight diverted safely to Dublin, Ireland (morning of November 19) to ensure that the co-pilot received immediate medical assistance. After a delay of a few hours, the flight continued on to Frankfurt.
This Journal.ie article contains a voice transcript of the flight as it approached Dublin.
source: DailyMail UK
@LufthansaFlyer says:
A 747-400 is only flown by a 2 person crew.
Its flown by a 2 pilot crew, but flights over 7 hours has a relief/cruise pilot onboard
@Sam – I would assume the crew announced the reason for the diversion, and at that point the pilot/pax spoke up & asked if they needed help.
Co-pilot must’ve had the fish. 🙂
I wonder how they identified the passenger, assuming he was not in uniform. I know that pilots and airline employees can get seats for travel so I assumed the crew knew he was on board before they needed him. I would be interest to hear from anyone how it works within the airline industry for crews flying other airlines.
Isn’t the plane flown by a 3 Pilot crew?
A 747-400 is only flown by a 2 person crew.
Often hear stories about compensation offered to health professionals who help with a sick passenger.
Assuming this was not a LH employee, I wonder if he received any benefits from LH….