Pilot Reportedly Suffers Heart Attack 30 Minutes Into Flight, Says Aviation Herald Report

The first officer of a Virgin Australia regional flight from Adelaide to Perth reportedly became incapacitated after suffering a heart attack 30 minutes into the flight, according to an incident report by The Aviation Herald.

Incident: VARA A320 near Adelaide on Mar 3rd 2023, first officer incapacitated #A320 #VHVNB #VA717 https://t.co/JGrEFDYvKS

— Aviation Herald (@avherald) March 5, 2023

“A Virgin Australia flight from Adelaide to Perth was forced to make an emergency landing after the First Officer reportedly suffered a heart attack just 30 minutes after departure.”

“The incident occurred on March 3rd and resulted in the Airbus A320 https://t.co/0mlgR9pH6A… pic.twitter.com/lL13K6PquP

— COVID VACCINE INJURIES .COM (@Storiesofinjury) March 7, 2023

From The Aviation Herald:

A VARA Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VNB performing flight VA-717 from Adelaide,SA to Perth,WA (Australia), was enroute at FL320 about 240nm westnorthwest of Adelaide about 30 minutes into the flight when the first officer suffered a heart attack and became incapacitated. The captain declared PAN PAN and returned the aircraft to Adelaide for a safe landing on runway 23 about 70 minutes later.

The flight was cancelled.

The aircraft remained on the ground for about 25 hours before returning to service.

Per Wikipedia:

The Aviation Herald is an English-language website that publishes reports of accidents and incidents in commercial aviation. It was launched in 2008 by Austrian aviation safety expert Simon Hradecky. In May 2018, the website had around 3.5 million visitors per month, and as of January 2020 over 25,000 individual news items had been published. It is sometimes referred to in international mainstream media reports on aviation incidents.

Virgin Australia flight from Adelaide to Perth forced to make emergency landing as First Officer suffered heart attack 30 min after departure on Mar.3, 2023

Mainstream media are pushing for one pilot in the cockpit, not two.

One fully https://t.co/4UKrGltUyL…

— William Makis MD (@MakisMD) March 7, 2023

This is allegedly the official internal memo sent to all VARA crew:

Official internal memo @VirginAustralia @AussieFlyers pic.twitter.com/P44prTyc79

— Open the Pod 🇦🇺✈️✈️🐭 (@AirBo55) March 7, 2023

As Dr. William Makis MD writes in his substack, the mainstream media has published articles insisting on one pilot in the cockpit instead of two.

Makis writes:

As I’ve written before, I fear that we are getting closer and closer to a major airline crash due to pilot and or co-pilot incapacitation, as a result of COVID-19 vaccine injuries.

In the meantime, the mainstream media are aggressively pushing the concept of only one fully COVID-19 vaccinated pilot in the cockpit. Almost as if they want a major airline crash to take place. Would such an incident bring about a crackdown on flying in general? To fight climate change? And for our safety, of course?

Aussie Freedom Flyers noted that Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) will likely ignore this incident.

A Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Airbus A320, VH-VNB performing flight VA-717 from Adelaide, SA to Perth, WA (Australia), was enroute at FL320 about 240nm WNW of Adelaide about 30 minutes into the flight when the first officer suffered a heart attack and became incapacitated.

— Aussie Freedom Flyers (@AussieFlyers) March 6, 2023

'No reports, no evidence' pic.twitter.com/xLFWkTxp0R

— Aussie Freedom Flyers (@AussieFlyers) March 6, 2023

Paddle Your Own Kanoo noted other recent incidents of pilots becoming incapacitated during flights:

Very few details about the incident have so far been made public by Australia’s aviation accident investigation bureau, but the AVHerald reports that the First Officer became incapacitated after suffering a heart attack.

The Captain of the flight declared an emergency and successfully landed the aircraft around 70 minutes later.

Australian aviation regulators require pilots to undergo a yearly medical examination, although an ECG is only required for the initial medical and then at ages 25, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40.

After the age of 40, an ECG is required annually. The medical process also includes a calculation of cardiovascular risk.

STRONG AND COURAGEOUS: Your Children Need This…TAP HERE

Although rare, midflight heart attacks are not unheard of.

Last November, the Captain of an American Eagle flight died from a suspected heart attack shortly after takeoff from Chicago O’Hare, while the Captain of a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight became incapacitated and later died last August during a flight from Muscat to Dhaka.

American Airlines pilot Bob Snow recently interviewed with Tucker Carlson about the heart attack he suffered just after landing a commercial flight last year with 200 passengers on board.

In the interview, Snow addressed the impact of COVID-19 jab mandates on the airline industry.

FAA Quietly Changes Health Requirements For Pilots With Heart Damage, According to Steve Kirsch