Flight forced to return to Halifax as pilot passes out
A Porter Airlines flight that left Halifax on Saturday morning was forced to turn around and come back to the airport because its pilot briefly lost consciousness.
Halifax International Airport Authority spokeswoman Ashley Barnes said officials were informed of the incident about 45 minutes after the 10:30 a.m. flight departed Halifax en route to St. John's, N.L.
"We received a call at 11:16 this morning that the pilot aboard Porter Flight 243 . . . needed medical attention," said Barnes, adding that a co-pilot safely landed the aircraft around 11:44 a.m. "He did, at some point, lose consciousness."
Barnes said the pilot was able to walk off the plane toward a waiting ambulance. He was taken to a Halifax hospital for assessment. Authorities did not know what had caused the man's medical distress.
The aircraft had a 70-passenger capacity.
The flight left Halifax again after an hour-and-a-half delay, Barnes said.
"The passengers never left the aircraft."