Pilot sick on QF flight

[Poof in Boots]

Your account of this incident is wonderful Brian and really should be published for a wider audience.

I remember this incident very well and I had flown with Capt Stewart a couple of times before. He was a lovely man, very pleasant and kind.

To be honest, some of the CRM issues here remind me of the Staines Trident crash. Things are no better nearly twenty years on from this near crash. I recently flew over India in Monsoon season on a 777, where the weather radar had completly failed 45 minutes after leaving SIN for LHR.

We should have gone back rather than risk putting the aircraft into a CB for so long. No advice from the airline was forthcoming, it was left to the Captain to make the decision whether to carry on or not. Once again the commercial impact of going back to SIN was no doubt in the minds of that Flight Crew, as that which persuaded Capt Stewart not to divert. Of course if we had of survived an encounter with a CB, it would have been tea and biscuits for them. It was a poor decision, but they got away with it.

Tim Luffingham is a Captain on the 747-400.

[M.Mouse]

We should have gone back rather than risk putting the aircraft into a CB for so long. No advice from the airline was forthcoming, it was left to the Captain to make the decision whether to carry on or not.

A now retired but very well respected BA training captain with whom I flew several times told me over a beer somewhere downroute of a total weather radar system failure just airborne out of Sydney, Australia bound for Bangkok. He elected to continue have assessed the options and risks as he saw them. A couple of hours out from Bangkok, in the dark, they inadvertantly flew into a Cb. There were injuries on board and in his words it was very frightening. He said he would never ever continue again without serviceable weather radar.

I have always remembered that conversation and to BA's credit, while they would perhaps not advise me of what to do should I ask in flight for example, I am 99.9% certain that if I did divert in such circumstances I would face no comeback.

I would also say that much has changed within BA since the November Oscar travesty. A cliché but I believe much has been learned since from that incident and others. Also it would appear that corporate responsibility and prosecution of executives in recent years might well have served to change matters too.

[flash8]

Brian

Many thanks. That must have taken many hours to type out. I thought at the time it was completely shameful how they hounded a decent man to the grave.

Those involved at the time and contributed to the outcome should be utterly ashamed of their role. Time does not heal, and some of us have long memories.

flash.

[equal]

wow, what an amazing article.

[captaintunedog777]

Strange no one has asked. But why the hell did the FO get out of his seat??? The CSM came forward to help so why didn't the CSM bring some other FA's to help lift the Cap? Instaed the FO gets out of his seat!!!

[Keg]

If you're talking about the original incident in 2007, the door of the 767 opens inwards. If a crew member has fallen down beside it on the flight deck side of it the door is not going to open without the potential of serious injury to the already stricken crew member. Additional F/As on the wrong side of the door won't help. Once the door was clear the F/O jumped back in his seat.

[dragon man]

Thank you Brian i lost my copy of this many years ago and am pleased to have one again. This story is amongst other things why we have and need a strong union. Anyone who thinks management would back them read this. Its my belief that a good and very decent man was let down and appallingly treated by BA management. Do i think Qantas would be any different? NO. To younger pilots read this story, print it, and never forget it.

[nitpicker330]

God what a load of bollocks, this F/O did exactly what he should have done, I hope that my F/O wouldn't leave me lying beside the door in a heap!!

Why is this even a story?

[gobbledock]

nitpicker330, I agree.

Why is this even a story?

Big deal, pilot gets sick, whoopee doo and who gives a sh#t. It happens on ocaasion. Life goes on.

[teresa green]

Had a Flight Engineer take a fit on a red eye. (B727). About 0300, he complained of back pain earlier, but nothing to drastic. Myself and the F/O were present on the flight deck, and it would have to be said, it was quite spectacular. He lost complete control of his body functions, he fell sideways only kept in by his shoulderstrap, and he had no control of his limbs which were all over the place. I hit the button for the Cabin Manager, who thankfully was a trained nursing sister, she assessed him straight away, and he slowly came out of it, and had no memory of it what so ever, in fact just went back to his panel like nothing had happened. Needless to say the F/O and I just looked at him dumbfounded. Turned out he had a raging kidney infection, which pushed his blood pressure up thru roof, which in turn caused him to take a fit. I realised then what we take for granted (good health) is not always so, and enrolled myself in a first aid course, in the hope it would give me some insight to medical problems on the flight deck. Luckily for us many of the female flight attendants at TAA were trained nursing sisters, and were a great help in illness in both PAX and crew, (and the occasional death).