American Airlines Pilot Dies in Flight BOS-PHX

[skyship007]

Ultra sounds!

Prevention is better than a cure!

The present class 1 medical is real good at detecting pilots with a serious heart defect, BUT it's almost useless at predicting if a pilot is going to have a heart attack within the next year.

To predict the future requires a full exam by a cardiologist (The tests can be done by good nurses). Those exams are free for pilots in Germany, but might cost few quid (About 500 gbp) if done privately in India.

A full cardio exam including bike, blood and ultrasound (The ultrasound is more important, as the bike test just shows how bad the problem visible on the ultrasound is in most cases).

I fully expect the bean counters and pen pushers will get this post deleted, unless they can set up a chain of drivers only heart scan shops!

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by telster

I was one of the first to suggest as an ex-paramedic that an experienced ER nurse could potentially have been as capable as a Doctor, in response to someone saying that someone's earlier post saying similar was the most stupid they'd ever read.

To be fair, the poster who branded that suggestion as "the stupidest post I've seen to date" subsequently acknowledged that he/she had just undergone major surgery, anasthaesia can have strange effects.

[Herod]

Does anyone know whether there are extra checks at the medical for people who have had bypass surgery?

[deptrai]

there's quite a lot of testing needed to get a class 1 back after a bypass, and then at least annual specialist cardiology review, cardiovascular risk assessment and an exercise ECG, if there's any doubt further tests.

[BARKINGMAD]

"I have asked this question many times why the first officer is not allowed to taxi and have never received an acceptable answer".

Ask the training/management departments of the relevant airline why they've deleted another piece of fact, logic and reasoning from the profession.

Alas many 'frames don't have a tiller on the RHS, presumably due to the penny-pinching when they were originally specified with the maker. Boeing 73s & NGs in Europe are but one example.

However, there's nothing to stop competent captains from allowing the F/O to "drive" these 'frames on straight stretches of taxiway with shallow turns to give them confidence, so that in the event of landing with a dead captain they could at least steer the beast off onto the highspeed exit (where supplied) and save the airport operator the hassle of a blocked runway.

All the F/Os to whom I gave the aforesaid taxi practice were always very pleased and happy to practise speed control on the ground and rudder fine steering. Of course I had to ask them not to blab about it in case the headmaster got to know of it and use the event to rap my knuckles or worse, such is the apalling environment in which we operate(d).

[BARKINGMAD]

Further to my last I've just spotted this:

http://www.pprune.org/tech-log/56884...g-tillers.html

[llondel]

When it comes to medical personnel seniority, anyone remember the case of the footballer, Fabrice Muamba? He had the medical squads of both teams out helping him, then a senior cardiac surgeon in the crowd put in an appearance too. He was interviewed after the event and said that by the time he got there, he could see that the medical people at work were already doing pretty much what he would have done at that point so he just let them know he was there in case things got worse and let them get on with it, on the basis that there was more risk in him disturbing things by joining in.

[TowerDog]

. However, there's nothing to stop competent captains from allowing the F/O to "drive" these 'frames on straight stretches of taxiway with shallow turns to give them confidence, so that in the event of landing with a dead captain they could at least steer the beast off onto the highspeed exit (where supplied) and save the airport operator the hassle of a blocked runway.

Most co-pilots with a Major Airline probably have tons of experience and have flown left seat and taxied airplanes for years before they got stuck in the right seat.
(I had 12,000 hours and previous commands of kites from DC-3s to B-747s before AA hired me. Same with most if not all the pilots in my class, lots of time and types)

[wanabee777]

I was always under the impression that the right side tiller was put there more for the benefit of the instructor pilots than the F/O's.

[deptrai]

regarding the medical "competency" debate and resuscitation, there is no doubt that doctors have both broader and "deeper" training. But there's also the question of currency. A 50 year old psychiatrist who graduated 25 years ago may simply be less current with regards to advanced cardiac life support than an intensive care nurse or a HEMS paramedic who do these things on a daily basis. Just like in flying, I'd assume there's "manual", "hands-on" skills, that perish quickly when not used. A ppl pilot who is type rated and current flying an L-29 jet trainer, who has a few 1000 on type will most likely do better flying an L-29 than someone who has gone through (arguably) "superior" ATPL training, but is flying an ATR72. Most professionals are aware of their own limitations though.

[RobertS975]

Physician and a pilot... not sure what we are "arguing" about here.

If this was indeed a witnessed arrest, then it is a shame that no apparent attempt was made to lay the man down in the forward entryway and attempt CPR and at least attach the AED leads to see if there was a "shockable" rhythm. Any onboard MD, EMT, RN, fire or police, current or recent military could have possibly helped.

The fact that this did not happen makes me suspect that the event was not witnessed but merely discovered when to FO tried to wake the pilot prior to the beginning of the descent into BOS.

[Jamair]

I'm a full time EMS pilot and have 20+ years of Intensive Care Paramedic background in a system that uses clinical judgement and knowledge rather than algorithms and protocols. I have resuscitated probably hundreds of sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and gods only know how many critical care trauma and medical patients.

To have a dick-measuring contest about who shoulda-woulda-coulda in a discussion about the sad death of a guy doing his job is just....sad.

Unless you were there you do not know the whole story or when-where-what-why, so leave it alone.

Rant done.

[wanabee777]

I used to tell my co-pilots that if I don't respond to their trying to wake me up to immediately land at the nearest suitable airport.

The only place I desire to be pronounced dead at, is in a hospital ER, not onboard an airplane!!!

So don't be continuing on to the destination or I'm go'n to come back and haunt you for the rest of your bloody lives!!!!!

[Des Dimona]

In the airline I work for, when it's the co-pilot's sector - that means from the start of the push back until the aircraft is parked.

The only parking exception is NIGS that are left seat aligned.

So with us, there is no issue with the co-pilot taxiing the airplane if the Captain is incapacitated.

I would imagine it would cost more to remove the NWS on the right side rather than leave it.