When an airplane accident occurs, news coverage of it is often so saturated that some people simply want to turn away. There are reasons for this coverage, and one of them is that these accidents and disasters are statistically quite rare. One could wonder, in terms of statistics, how often an occurrence like the one that took place on a flight from Brussels to Newark happens as well.
During a trans-Atlantic flight from the European city to the United States, a 61-year-old pilot suddenly died while in the cockpit. Despite this obvious tragedy and suddenly dangerous situation, the plane managed to land safely. According to an update published by CNN:
“The Boeing 777 landed at Newark International Airport at 11:49 a.m. ET Thursday, the airline said, after the 61-year-old Newark-based pilot died “apparently of natural causes.”
No further details were given.
Asked whether the plane’s 247 passengers had been told of the situation, a Continental spokesman said only that the plane had arrived safely.
Passengers told CNN they were not told of the situation, only that an announcement for a doctor was made during the flight.
The airline said the crew on the flight included a relief pilot who took the place of the deceased man.”
While this can certainly be filed under the ‘thank goodness’ category, it could create questions regarding how widespread these sort of fallback options are in airlines around the world. Hopefully this will serve as an example of how an unforeseen incident should be handled in the future.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. If you or someone you love has been harmed because of an airplane accident, contact the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Thu, Jun 18, 2009
Airplane Accidents