Pilot of Small Plane Dies of Cardiac Arrest Mid-Flight

A newly published report from a 2022 incident revealed that a flying instructor died mid-flight on a four-person aircraft.

The incident occurred near Blackpool Airport in Lancashire, England, on June 29, 2022.

The co-pilot thought the pilot was fooling around and didn’t realize he suffered cardiac arrest until landing on the runway.

Surprisingly, CNN reported the incident.

However, the news outlet didn’t dare ask the question many people would want to know.

A flying instructor died inflight after suffering a cardiac arrest, but his co-pilot thought he was just fooling around.

“People who had spoken to him on the morning of the incident said he was his normal cheerful self and there were no indications that https://t.co/STYsTJHrWZ…

— COVID VACCINE INJURIES .COM (@Storiesofinjury) February 21, 2023

BBC also shared the story.

Pilot thought co-pilot who died in cockpit was joking about cardiac arrest, safety report revealshttps://t.co/3N42WC3DRo

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 21, 2023

🚨Pilot thought co-pilot who died in cockpit was joking – report

A little worrying, sudden cardiac arrest, after a medical 4 months earlier.

Could have been flying a larger aeroplane, with the co-pilot having just popped out of the cockpit. https://t.co/opkZwSoDvD pic.twitter.com/cH3ySe8kij

— Sandra Weeden (@SandraWeeden) February 21, 2023

CNN reported:

Prior to takeoff, the pair chatted normally while the pilot taxied the craft out to the runway, the pilot told the AAIB. He said that the instructor’s last words were, “Looks good, there is nothing behind you.”

Shortly after takeoff, the instructor’s head rolled back. As the two pilots knew each other well, the co-pilot thought his companion was “just pretending to take a nap” while he completed the circuit, the report said. When the plane turned around, the instructor slumped over so that his head rested on the co-pilot’s shoulder, but again the pilot still thought a joke was being played on him.

After landing safely with the instructor still resting on his shoulder and not responding, the pilot realized something was wrong and alerted airport emergency services who were unable to revive the instructor.

The instructor, who had close to 9,000 hours of flying experience, was said to be in good spirits before his final flight.

“People who had spoken to him on the morning of the incident said he was his normal cheerful self and there were no indications that he was feeling unwell,” the AAIB report said. “The three people who had flown with him for the trial lesson just prior to the incident flight said he seemed well and nothing abnormal had occurred.”

The medical department of the UK Civil Aviation Authority reviewed the incident and the instructor’s medical history and concluded that, “From the evidence provided, it is likely the individual suffered a cardiac arrest as the aircraft took off.” He was known to suffer from high blood pressure, but it was within regulatory limits.

The AAIB’s report concludes that, while on this occasion the instructor’s co-pilot was qualified and was able to land the plane safely, the outcome could have been very different.

Read the full AAIB Report.

A few screenshots below: