F/O Incapacitated during approach - Mayday?

[Capot]

With acknowledgement to Avherald

A Volaris Airbus A321-200, registration XA-VLV performing flight Y4-737 from Guadalajara to Mexico City (Mexico), was on final approach to Mexico City's runway 05R when the first officer fainted. The captain declared Mayday and continued the approach for a safe landing on runway 05R.

Hmmm.....Mayday? Maybe more effective to tell ATC to get a doctor/ambulance to the aircraft immediately on parking, and why?

A Mayday call can create unnecessary distractions, in some circumstances. In this case there was only one priority, and that's to get treatment started on the F/O. Apart from him, it's arguable that there was no immediate threat to life.

[RAT 5]

Some airlines have pilots incapacitation as a Mayday. Whether you agree or not it takes the decision making out of the scenario.

[testpanel]

Hmmm.....Mayday? Maybe more effective to tell ATC to get a doctor/ambulance to the aircraft immediately on parking, and why?

A Mayday call can create unnecessary distractions, in some circumstances. In this case there was only one priority, and that's to get treatment started on the F/O. Apart from him, it's arguable that there was no immediate threat to life.

Lets turn it around....
Lets say it was you, going incapacitated on final.........
What would you want your f/o tell atc, "its all-right" type of thing?:ugh:

I would hope you (all) call the shots as needed, and appropriate!

TP

[wiggy]

Hmmm.....Mayday? Maybe more effective to tell ATC to get a doctor/ambulance to the aircraft immediately on parking, and why?

At at least one very major U.K. airport the only way you will get an NHS ambulance to the aircraft side is by formally declaring an emergency...(though a “Pan” will do)....simply asking for medical assistance won’t suffice.

[Lascaille]

Yes, you call a mayday.

Immediately.

Because the next transmission you might otherwise receive could be 'go around' and then exactly how complacent would you feel?

[Intruder]

Also, Mayday on short final will get the responders rolling NOW.

[FlightDetent]

Mayday = immediate life danger to aeroplane's occupants?

[FlyingStone]

Think of it this way, you lose the entire redundancy in the flight deck. Would you be happy to do a go-around with single engine or single hydraulic system operating, just because somebody did a very slow line-up or ATC managed the runway operations a bit less than optimal? My guess would be no, so why accept it when you're down to one pilot?

Mayday call will most likely mean whoever's in front of you will go around and nobody else is going to enter the runway before you land. Get it on the ground and sort it there, cancel the mayday if you feel it's no longer warranted.

Definitely better than flying single pilot go-around and then taking 15 minutes around a busy airspace to get positioned for another approach, while having to notify cabin crew etc. about what is going on.

[AerocatS2A]

With acknowledgement to Avherald



Hmmm.....Mayday? Maybe more effective to tell ATC to get a doctor/ambulance to the aircraft immediately on parking, and why?


Presumably the Mayday included those things.

If I called a Mayday it would be followed by what the problem was and what I wanted.

[meleagertoo]

Apart from the above how do you know he's "fainted"? Can you tell by glancing at him that he hasn't had a heart attack or a stroke, or is about to launch into a fit? That's a call beyond a Pilot's pay-grade. It's a Mayday and land for medical assistance asap imho.
For the mayday doubters, turn the scenario around and have the Capt incapacitated on finals - what call does the FO then make?
QED I think.

[Capot]

Yes, thanks to all. I posted this as a question in "Questions", to see what the consensus would be.

Overwhelmingly, the Mayday was the right action, for a number of persuasive reasons, provided in the posts above.

[Johnny F@rt Pants]

I posted this as a question in "Questions" Really?

Hmmm.....Mayday?

Hmmm......Mayday? reads that you are questioning the validity of making it a Mayday.

Then followed by Maybe more effective to tell ATC to get a doctor/ambulance to the aircraft immediately on parking, and why? which reads as though you think that would be the better course of action.

If you are going to ask a question, don't make it ambiguous.

[flyboyike]

If you are going to ask a question, don't make it ambiguous.

Welcome to pprune.

[Johnny F@rt Pants]

Welcome to PPRuNe.

Check my date of joining - been here 17 years.

[Piltdown Man]

Unambiguously I’ll suggest declaring an emergency was a good call. The initial benefit should be extra scrutiny on approach and possible help on a go-around by ATC, simpler clearances, easier taxiing possibly with a “Follow Me”, a possible warning to ground handlers to be careful and getting the blue lights rolling without delay. Let’s also bear in mind that Mexico City is not the easiest airport to fly into.

PM

[fantom]

You need to remember that the whole point of an F/O is that, if you come down in the desert, you can eat him.

[aterpster]

You need to remember that the whole point of an F/O is that, if you come down in the desert, you can eat him.

If he is a she?

[ZFT]

If he is a she?

To respond to that could result in a time away!

[Capot]

If he is a she? Reduce cooking times by 15%.

[Uplinker]

Yes of course it’s a MAYDAY it is a failure of a critical system, AND it is potentially a human life.

You want maximum assistance, MAYDAY comes from the French m’aidez (sp?) = help me. You want to land ASAP, you don’t want ATC to vector you round the houses, or tell you to break off the approach, or go-around, and once on the ground you want to taxi in and get to a gate ASAP, so you can get some medical help.

[B2N2]

With acknowledgement to Avherald



Hmmm.....Mayday? Maybe more effective to tell ATC to get a doctor/ambulance to the aircraft immediately on parking, and why?

A Mayday call can create unnecessary distractions, in some circumstances. In this case there was only one priority, and that's to get treatment started on the F/O. Apart from him, it's arguable that there was no immediate threat to life.

It’s an idiotic statement.
Doesn’t matter you already tried to recant it.
It’s an airplane certified for 2-pilot operation only.
One “fails” and that’s a ge-nu-ine emergency and hence a Mayday.
Possibly more critical then losing an engine on a two engine jet with two capable pilots.
Some airspace is so busy you need two pilots to prevent deviations from any sort of SID or STAR constraints.
That plus the potential life threatening incapacitation of the FO.
Crew member incapacitation is also mandatory reporting to the NTSB.
Part 830 of the FAA regulations.
And anything requiring NTSB notification is an emergency hence a Mayday