B-Med Mayday

[j123s]

Whilst flying in the London TMA on sunday afternoon a GB reported a Mayday due to Pilot incapacitation. Anyone know any more?:ooh:

[Sunfish]

Apology. Post removed. Condolences to the family.

[davecr]

I hope he's ok!

Are you sure it was a mayday though? I think pilot incapacitation is just a Pan-pan.

[Muppit]

It was a GeeBee A320, P2 became unwell, P1 called MayDay and everything worked out fine.

:ok:

[Angus Meecoat]

Hell of a difference in content between Tony Bonzo and Muppets post.

Please get all your info right guys before posting about something as serious as a fatality.

[ratarsedagain]

Are you sure it was a mayday though?

If a pilot has become incapacitated, then the crew complement has been reduced below the legal minimum (assuming no heavy carried), in which case an emergency should be declared.

The first item on the QRH for incapacitation on our fleet is:
"An emergency MUST be declared"

If my FO keeled over on the flight deck, I certainly wouldn't be faffing around with a PAN call.

[Konkordski]

I'm going back to reading the papers :rolleyes:

[davecr]

thanks for that ratarsedagain
:ok:

I know it makes more sense to declare an emergency, but I wasn't sure if one pilot being incapacitated would be classified as a "medical emergency", requiring a PAN call, or an emergency.

Dave

[eal401]

It's quite heart-warming to know on this No. 1 site for journo slagging, things like this can be ****** up too. :p

(I hope the OK post was the real outcome BTW!)

[TwoDots]

ratarsedagain

Did you mean to say "my FO" or "the FO" ?

[Joyce Tick]

Well it depends if he's sick, or dead. If he's poorly sick, a Mayday might get him speedy help, but if he's dead - the emergency is over.....

[G-CPTN]

>if he's dead - the emergency is over.....

*******************************

Not necessarily - the latest medical news about the heart conditions of the Helios pilots suggests that the shock of finding 'your' FO dead could give ANY Captain a heart attack . . .

[kooyheier]

Joyce Tick,

maybe for some captains the emergency is than over.
But let's say it was an inexperienced F/O. As I am. I would declare a May Day even if he was dead..
In a situation like that, you just want all the help you can get. I'll bet the stress levels are higher than you expect. Sure enough you know how to handle the a/c but there's more to it! And stress also causes you to forget things!!

For example setting something like the QNH on the Captain's side.
Don't know how it is on other a/c but the type that I fly the EGPWS is related to the captains QNH setting. And the last thing you want on the approach is a "WHOOP WHOOP, PULL UP"

And if you think everything is going allright, you can always downgrade it to a Pan, but I would always start with a May Day.

cheerio
:cool:

[Joyce Tick]

The Licence Skill Test is designed to show the examiner that you can handle and recover an aircraft all by yourself if needs must. Even single handedly control an aircraft with engine failure at take-off. If you can't recover the aircraft to land safely, all by yourself in a calm manner, in the event of crew failure - then you shouldn't be there..

[kooyheier]

Even single handedly control an aircraft with engine failure at take-off.

meaning???

Yeah obviously YOU control the aircraft on an EFATO, assisted by the Captain/First Officer. But I can guarantee you that no one I know during my course or who flies for other airlines have had a practice at an EFATO whilst the Captain/First Officer gets incapacitated at the same time.... Yeah during the T/O roll maybe, and whilst already single engine, but not when the EFATO happens.

[Min Drag]

Joyce Tick, you must do one hell of an LST that also qualifies you to decide whether a guy is clinically dead whilst dealing with an EFATO! Either you are inexperienced yourself or a bit of an a**e.

I can fully understand why someone would put out a mayday when faced with such a situation, especially if inexperienced. What's been lost if a mayday has been declared when a pan would have sufficed?

I'm sure you'd be the first to slag someone off if a mayday possibly should have been called and wasn't:{

There's no black & white in this game, we're all excellent armchair critics but on the day even you don't know how you'd react when faced with every possible situation - no QRH covers the lot.

MD

[bigmountain]

I believe that May Day is quite appropriate.

1) YOU have an incapacitated Crew member.

2) You are now flying single handedly. What would happen to the aircraft and pax if something happend to the surviving crew member. It may be fumes on the flight deck, bad crew meals sandwiches ?///?

The idea is let others know and get the aircraft down safely with the highest priority and the least problem.

BM