Pilot dies in flight

According to the news they had a relief pilot on board who is now flying it (but I believe its landed by now).
 
There is a Captain and two rated first officers. Both first officers are fully capable and qualified to fly the airplane.
 
Yeah I like the line " Safely guided the plane to the runway" :nonod: Uh yuh mean he landed the plane Why would anyone think a FO couldn't fly the dang plane Sheesh.


As you know it all depends on the flightplan.








:D
 
There is a Captain and two rated first officers. Both first officers are fully capable and qualified to fly the airplane.
I believe you've said before that at UAL, only one of the two F/O's on those long-range flights is is fully PIC-qualified, and the other is only SIC-qualified. Does CO do it differently?
 
There is a Captain and two rated first officers. Both first officers are fully capable and qualified to fly the airplane.

Are FOs actually pilots? Do they know how to file the flight plans? Why did they not use the autopilot to land the plane? [/sarcasm]


PUHLEASE! What a load of equine excrement in these news reports!!
 
So much for the age-65 rule.

Let me save you the task of looking up tomorrow's "news":

AGING PILOT RANKS UNSAFE
FAA Pushes for New Rules
(AP) June 20, 2009

Airline Officials and an unamed source at the FAA say it's "about time" the Feds took a closer look at pilot health -- specifically those over age 50.

blah, blah, blah
 
Comment 18: Wow. Whole lotta dumb people out there.
 
Comment 18: Wow. Whole lotta dumb people out there.

lol no kidding

*over the PA*

attention ladies and gentlemen the captain has died, so we're going to ditch in the north atlantic in order to perform CPR. Don't worry I've alerted the Carpathia and they are steaming our way so that you can continue your journey to New York.
 
OMG. What a load of crap. I hate news reports.


Actually, it sounds like the authorities were the root cause of unneccesary alarm.

"No one knew," she said. She only became concerned when after the plane landed, she saw fire trucks and emergency vehicles lined up along the runway.

WTF for? The man was pronounced dead on board so there was no need for quick transfer to an ambulance. They didn't think the plane could be landed safely by three pilots?

And, actually, the pilot was 60, not 61...at least according to the article provided by the OP. The flight number was 61.
 
OMG. What a load of crap. I hate news reports.

I agree; was watching it on MSNBC during lunch. It's sad the pilot died, but the passengers were never in any danger... they almost made it sound like the passengers were lucky to have survived, given the low visibility and weather at Newark. (sigh)
 
lol no kidding

*over the PA*

attention ladies and gentlemen the captain has died, so we're going to ditch in the north atlantic in order to perform CPR. Don't worry I've alerted the Carpathia and they are steaming our way so that you can continue your journey to New York.

ROFLMAO! Carpathia, now that there is funny.
 
Q. What did the copilot say to the FA after the pilot died during a trip?

A. Come up here and help me get this dead sumbitch out of my seat.
 
A relief pilot was on board during the flight and took the place of the deceased pilot, Cripe said. The Boeing 777 touched down on time just before noon at Newark Liberty International Airport.
...
"They did an incredible job,"

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PILOT_DIES?SITE=ININS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Yeah. Who wouldda thunk that two other pilots could land the jet safely and on time?

Why, I'll bet the one guy had to read the flight plan and dispatch printout and everything.

(I will admit that quote is out of context, but watch for the reports, "Passengers on a flight should have been terrified...a miracle safe landing.."
 
So what is it with Continental - That's their second one in a row! (Note to self: Start flying Continental more often!)
 
No good... but that's where having a second pilot is nice.

As usual, completely blown out of proportion by the media. This is the problem with media being a for-profit entity: its goal is to promote whatever gets it the most ratings (i.e. advertising revenue). Fear is good for ratings.
 
Duh. I always wondered why they had two pilots up front...

Dan
 
My favorite comment by CNN..."This is, of course, why there are two pilots, so one can take over in an event like this..."

So that's what my job is; to just hang out till the captain keels over.
 
My favorite comment by CNN..."This is, of course, why there are two pilots, so one can take over in an event like this..."

So that's what my job is; to just hang out till the captain keels over.
i thought your job also entailed doing the preflight in the rain and snow so that Catp would not get wet or cold?
 
i thought your job also entailed doing the preflight in the rain and snow so that Catp would not get wet or cold?
Thus preventing the Captain from catching a cold, and potentially dying during the flight.
-harry
 
What is amazing to me is how the press got this BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. No way would this be on HF. ACARS, maybe.

It suggests someone in the dispatch office got a bonus from a news organization......
 
What is amazing to me is how the press got this BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. No way would this be on HF. ACARS, maybe.

It suggests someone in the dispatch office got a bonus from a news organization......

Don't they have internet access on most international flights these days? If they made an announcement to the passengers, couldn't it have been a passenger who alerted the media?
 
What is amazing to me is how the press got this BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. No way would this be on HF. ACARS, maybe.

It suggests someone in the dispatch office got a bonus from a news organization......

Or any number of things.... the timing of the report suggests that they were talking to Boston Center, which means that there would have been VHF conversations - and anyone can hear that. (That route comes into the US in Maine or slightly south depending on the ETOPS limitation).

The media was WAY whacked out over this. This is why we have a nation of paranoids and hysterical sheeple. BREAKING NEWS HEADLINE? Please. No danger at all.

Now, in the time+tragedy=comedy department....

"What we need is someone that can fly the plane but didn't have fish for dinner"....
 
The media was WAY whacked out over this. This is why we have a nation of paranoids and hysterical sheeple. BREAKING NEWS HEADLINE? Please. No danger at all.

We need a backup captain on every flight! I mean the FO has only seen the capt land several hundred times. I mean what'd happen if the FO hit the "Jettison wing" button?:rolleyes:
[/sarcasm]
 
I heard one broadcast say that the information was released by the FAA prior to the plane landing, but I give that about as much merit as... well, you fill in the blank.
 
Don't they have internet access on most international flights these days?
Not very common at all. There are only a handful of airlines world wide that have that capability. Most US based airlines do not have it. Some of the major US airlines are still upgrading to video tape machines in the first class seats of all their flight. Who knows when they will get to DVD or, GASP! Video on Demand, like just about every foreign carrier has!!
 
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Not very common at all. There are only a handful of airlines world wide that have that capability. Most US based airlines do not have it. Some of the major US airlines are still upgrading to video tape machines in the first class seats of all their flight. Who knows when they will get to DVD or, GASP! Video on Demand!!

Hmm. I thought it was available on our flight to Barcelona last fall on AA (Iberia), or maybe it was on the flight back on British Airways. But, to be honest, I was so aggravated from trying to sleep in those uncomfortable seats that I wasn't even thinking about exploring surfing the web while flying :frown2: (not to mention I'm sure it's expensive!)
 
Don't they have internet access on most international flights these days? If they made an announcement to the passengers, couldn't it have been a passenger who alerted the media?

But they quoted pax as saying they had no idea until after landing.
 
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