Garuda Pilot Dies At Controls

[Pine Tree]

Pilot Dies on Take-off to Adelaide

“The Advertiser” 31 July 2006

By Michael Owen

The pilot of a plane carrying up to 300 passengers from Bali to Adelaide died during take-off, it has been revealed.

Garuda Indonesia Flight 722 last Tuesday was delayed for almost an hour after it returned to Denpassar Airport following the death.

Adelaide Airport sources yesterday told The Advertiser the co-pilot had to abort the take-off procedure when the chief pilot suffered a heart attack and died at the controls. A apokesman for Garuda, the official airline for Indonesia, yesterday confirmed the pilot’s death.

It was yesterday unclear if the plane was airborne at the time.

The Airbus A330-300 aircraft was preparing to return hundreds of Australian holiday makers from Bali to Adelaide via Melbourne.

Asked if the passengers were made aware of the situation with the plane’s pilot, the spokesman said: “I can’t comment on that. It happened in Denpasar, so it wasn’t in Adelaide, so it just caused a delay out”, he said.

The spokesman said the pilot was Indonesian but declined to give further details. “Obviously it was a very traumatic experience for all of our staff,” he said..

A Melbourne Airport spokeswoman said the flight was scheduled to arrive at 10.30 a.m. but landed at 11.16 a.m.

The flight was further delayed in the departure for Adelaide flying out of Melbourne at 1.02 p.m.

Passengers waiting at Adelaide Airport to fly to Bali that day were delayed by three hours because of the death of the pilot in Denpasar.

An airport spokesman said the matter was “entirely an airline issue”. The Australian Transport Saety Bureau said if such an incident had occurred in Australia, the airline would have been required to submit an incident report.

[distracted cockroach]

Goes to show it can happen to anyone at any time. Love to know some further details...like how old the pilot was and how long ago he did his last medical.
I suspect that our medicals are not the guarantee of good health that many think they are.
Well done to the F/O involved if it did indeed happen "during takeoff"
DC

[tobzalp]

Holy crap! The pilot died and the thing was only 45 minutes late getting out!

[gyro]

In the immortal words....... " keep sending him up" !!!

[11percent]

Dreadful news, my sincere condolences to his family.

:( :( :(

[apache]

So.... how much command time can the F/O now log ?

[hotnhigh]

Interested to know if the fo operated down to oz?

[Wheeler]

Ahhh! So that's why QF always seem to be about an hour or so late these days!

[Torqueman]

Ahhh! So that's why QF always seem to be about an hour or so late these days!

hahahaha.....................:D :D :D

I suspect Qantas would have continued the flight....
At the least if he had signed on an hour and a half earlier they would probably assume he still owed them two and a half hours work.....Ohh my mistake that's a call in.....:hmm:

[Lord Snot]

the co-pilot had to abort the take-off procedure when the chief pilot suffered a heart attack and died at the controls.

It was yesterday unclear if the plane was airborne at the time.I think they'd know if the FO tried to abort when airborne. But then it IS Garuda.

The Airbus A330-300 aircraft was preparing to return hundreds of Australian holiday makers from Bali to Adelaide via Melbourne.Rotten ruddy Blunderbus, would never've happened in a Boeing.

[Centaurus]

All the more reason that first officers should be trained regularly in the simulator to conduct rejected take offs from the RH seat - and not just once every couple of years as an incapacitated session, either. The F/O should be given the same number of rejected take off practices as captains get in order to meet the same competency standards.

You will note also that few airlines in Australia who use simulators for recurrent training, ever have the F/O die (incapacitated) on the take off - its always the bloody captain who gets to go ape and kark and the poor F/O gets canned if he doesn't get the abort right first time. Blatant discrimination I call it....Where's the Federation's position on this vital facet of flight safety?

[Disguise Delimit]

If the dead pilot slumped forward, could we suppose that the end result would have been a lot nastier in a Boeing (push wheel forward, can't get him off it) than in the Airbus (side stick, no problem)?

Easier to remove the body, too, hence the shorter delay. Much bigger delay in a 747.

[Merlins Magic]

PHASE 1 ACTIONS FOR CAPTAIN INCAPACITATION

FO - 'Get the *&#% out of my seat!!!':}

Sorry for having a sense of humour. I am sure that this was infact a very distressing experience for the FO. I am sure that we all feel for the guy and his family but you can only read so much of that stuff.

I read Pprune for the 'useful' information that can occassionally come from these forums and the occassional little bit of humour. Sometimes it is very difficult to find amongst all the 'my thoughts go out.......'

All of us feel for those involved in such situations but just because we don't post our feelings and distress doesn't mean we are heartless bastards.

Lighten up people.

[Jetsbest]

The correct response is:
STOP WATCH... START
This allows the F/O to keep track of how much Check & Training time s/he should log!:}

[Kickatinalong]

He was still a pilot and a little thought and kindness would go along way, it could happen to any of us at any time.:= := := Having an Aussie sense of humour must go along with some good common sense.:ok:
Kickatinalong.

[Jaguar7777]

So.... how much command time can the F/O now log ?

:eek:
:}
:D

[Aussie]

Anyone, anymore details?

Aussie

[The Bunglerat]

Anyone, anymore details?
Aussie

Well the same story has reared its head on another aviation website, and according to quoted media reports on that thread, the incident occurred just before the aircraft was due to push-back for departure.

If so, then aside from the tragedy of the pilot dying, the whole affair was a non-event as far as operational safety to the rest of the crew and passengers.

Nevertheless, I'm sure it would still be quite distressing to have someone you work with keel over right next to you.

[Metroboy]

Some of the replies on this thread are a little distressing.

Were it a Qantas jet, or were the pilot an Australian, I wonder how many public posts would be displayed with the sole aim of eliciting humour?

A pilot has died. Condolences to him and his family, regardless of nationality and carrier.

Show some class, guys and girls.

[Peter Fanelli]

Some of the replies on this thread are a little distressing.

Were it a Qantas jet, or were the pilot an Australian, I wonder how many public posts would be displayed with the sole aim of eliciting humour?

A pilot has died. Condolences to him and his family, regardless of nationality and carrier.

Show some class, guys and girls.


there'd probably be more jokes if it were QANTAS/Australian pilot actually.

For what it's worth all this drivel that appears in various forums these days when someone is killed is getting to be a bit much, in my opinion.
People die every day on the roads, but does that compel everyone to get on the internet and offer heartfelt condolences to families they don't even know? Call me cynical if you wish, Christine K once did, but in reality the guy might have been an absolute prick and it's just a vacant seniority number to those below him.

OK, the man died, well that's a shame for him and his family, oh well life goes on for the rest of us.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go find my asbestos suit.

[flamingmoe]

Spot on Metro, some twisted units here,old mate's died for christ sake,just imagine he was a qantas pilot and show a little respect for him and his family:ugh:

[victor two]

Flamingmoe,

Can you explain exactly why it is that a qantas pilot might deserve more respect than any other pilot from any other company? Are qantas captains in some strange way, more than human beings or something like that?

Peter Fanelli, you are 100 percent spot on. Could not agree more.

[flamingmoe]

You missed my point Vic,

Was looking through far too many red wine's last night,but what I mean't was that people seemed to be trivialising this poor skippers death simply because he was an indonesian garuda pilot. All my comment implied was that perhaps these people should imagine that he was a colleague of theirs and wind they're necks in just a tad.

[RENURPP]

Peter Fanelli and Victor 2,
take your thoughts a step further and why have funerals. Surely a waist of time and who cares anyway.:ooh:

I you, your kids or partner falls off the perch, we can just get the street sweeper out to remove their carcass, and auction your house off. I really couldn't give a rats arse, I jus wouldn't make a joke of it. :hmm:

I reckon there would be a few sites on the www where people pay their respect to colleagues who die, what ever the reason.

[No Mate!]

What a gutta for the Lad.