Hi,
Had a passenger flying in the right seat with me yesterday in a 4 seater, we were 20 mins into the flight at low altitude (2500'), he suddenly got very anxious and asked to turn back, which I did. Approximately 30 seconds later he started to experience symptons in the following order:
1) Pins and needles in feet and hands
2) Difficulty breathing (which intensified)
3) Complete inability to move his limbs (paralyzed in effect)
4) Slurred speech - caused by muscles in his face seizing up
5) Tightness in chest
Fortunately I was 4 mins away from another airfield which I was able to divert to.
He is a fit and healthy 22 year old and the paramedic was of the opinion that it was a panic attack so was able to talk him through it without any other treatment. After about 40 mins he was able to walk around and was fine, so I'm inclined to agree with the paramedic's diagnosis.
Has anyone encountered this before? Are there any known ways to prevent it (though I think his light aircraft flying days are over
)?
Best,
J