Qatar Airways pilot dies in flight
The captain of a Qatar Airways plane has died while flying the aircraft from the Philippines to the Qatari capital, Doha.
The assistant pilot took control of the plane and the flight was then diverted to Kuala Lumpur where it landed at around 11.30am local time, Qatar Airways said on Wednesday.
Reports say the pilot died of a heart attack. But the company did not confirm the cause of death, or if the flight was ever at risk.
Qatar airways said in a statement that its priority "remains the comfort and safety of its passengers and staff".
The British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reported 32 occasions in 2009 when pilots were incapacitated during a flight.
In the preceding year co-pilots had to step in 39 times for a wide variety of reasons, including food poisoning, nausea and fainting.
Although modern passenger aircraft are able to fly themselves during most of a flight, the presence of a co-pilot in the cockpit is essential in case of the captain becoming unwell, or of a particularly dangerous emergency situation.
A plane cannot land without human intervention, as it has to be set at the right speed and the flaps have to be set for the approach
Its really sad abt the sudden death of the capt kukreja may his soul RIP
lion - dosent matter if hes a class 1 or 2 holder. has to undergo tests n chekrides as we call it every 6 months. company norms.
bbkius - only the deck crew was changed and the flyin deck crew was changed , there was an relief crew on board.
Pilots need to undergo peroidic medical checks stipulated by CAA, however, the frequency of the check is contingent on class 1 or 2,how frequently you fly and the duration of the flight. The safety of the passengers rests with the Pilots. So a minor deficiency in the system or the Pilot error can cost many lives! But this seems to be an isolated case. Safety First Guys! By the way, I am not into the aviation field.
Pilots do have periodical health screenings as per the ICAO norms.
This is rare, and thats why they always have a co pilot.
FlyingAce sort of :)
It is sad to hear that. I hope his family be okay. Maybe the whole crew was changed including cabin attendnats & flight deck in Kuala Lumpor.
We always should be prepared to die. Thus, we should be nice to our parents, children, brothers & sisters.
Arien, do you belong to Aviation background....
May his soul RIP....
may he rest in peace..... and condolence to the family
drmana, i will say it again, overall health parameters are checked every 6 months.
as you said no one can predict.
FA, Medical check every 6 months is good. I agree heart attacks can't be predicted but overall health parameters should have given the warning signs for detailed check up.
RIP to the deceased.
RIP...
drmana, There is medical checkup every 6 months, with simulator checks also. But u can't predict of a sudden heart attack.
Heart attack can happen in a young age also.
sad, but co pilot shud b appreciated!!
he suffered a heart attack...couldnt make it.
IM, Exactly my thoughts...if not, its a dangerous situation for passengers.
Aren't pilots subjected to a physical check up before flights?
The pilot was Ajay Kukreja of Indian origin hailing from mumbai in his early forties. may his soul rest in peace and consolation to the family
this too sad
It is a sad news for the loss of the pilot. My consolation to his family.
Definitely the pilot or co-pilot assistance is very essential in any flight.
Although modern aircrafts are equipped with sophisticated computers which controls the plane throughout the pre-programmed flight path/speeds/heights but without a pilot, a plane cannot handle the initial take off or final descent phases by itself due to the factors mentioned above (i.e flaps adjustment, retracting and deploying the landing gear which are all required during these phases)
so sad....may he rest in peace..
tragic
Sad...