Emergency declared on plane after pilot collapses moments after take-off
A Dutch plane carrying 41 people had to declare an emergency just three minutes after taking off from Dublin Airport two years ago when the 35-year-old pilot flying the aircraft collapsed in his seat.
The Air Accident Investigation Unit has released a new report revealing that the KLM flight, en route from Dublin to Amsterdam, also experienced a bird strike as it made an emergency landing back at the airport shortly afterwards. The incident, which took place on October 19, 2022, was classified as "a serious incident" by the AAIU.
The emergency involved an Embraer E175-200 STD aircraft with 37 passengers and four crew members on board. According to the AAIU report, the first officer told the commander he wasn't feeling well shortly after take-off at 8.22am, before collapsing in his seat and quickly becoming incapacitated. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
READ MORE: Mum-of-12 and family on run after 'one of the worst' city centre fights
The flight's commander attempted to revive his colleague by speaking loudly and shaking him by the shoulder, but was unsuccessful. The incident occurred just three minutes into the flight when the aircraft had reached an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The AAIU confirmed that the autopilot was engaged at the time of the incident. The pilot in command took over all flying duties and issued a Mayday alert to air traffic controllers, requesting clearance to return to Dublin Airport and notifying them that medical assistance would be needed, reports Dublin Live.
He also immediately called for help from the cabin crew via the emergency call button and by knocking on the cockpit door. Despite the co-pilot regaining consciousness and seeming stable, the commander decided he was unfit to be part of an active cockpit crew.
Cabin crew assisted in securing the co-pilot to his seat, which was moved away from the cockpit controls, and placed an oxygen mask on him. Passengers were informed via the aircraft's public address system that they would be returning to Dublin and would receive further information from the commander upon landing.
The AAIU report stated that the aircraft encountered a flock of birds at approximately 100 feet during its approach, resulting in a bird strike to the left side of its nose section. Although the bird strike did not cause any issues, it had the potential to significantly increase the workload of the remaining pilot.
Despite deteriorating weather conditions, a normal landing was executed at 8.40am. The unwell pilot was medically assessed and found to have low blood pressure, likely due to a combination of insufficient food and water intake and an increasing cabin altitude post-departure.
KLM informed Irish investigators that its initial and recurrent simulator training included procedures for when a pilot became incapacitated. The AAIU noted that the incident occurred with minimal warning shortly after take-off, a phase of flight that typically involved a high workload for flight crews.