A and C, I can see your point but I think most are being respectful and a few comments triggered by the lady's sad demise may be informative - or perhaps mods may split the thread off to Medical.
It is certainly a philosophical reminder of the uncertainty from which we, in the West, are largely protected.

The only comment that will be informative in this thread will be a link to the postmortem report.

Could be anything - my wife keeled over years ago aged 40 years from a cerebral aneurysm - she had a valid aircrew medical at the time

Sudden death events
 

An old school girlfiend of mine, Christine O, who seemed healthy bit into an orange peel and was dead minutes later from a reaction to the chemicals used on the skin.

How she got to be adult without encountering this chemical is a mystery

Perhaps there as a great many death causing situations which would not be detected by a medical or perhaps our susceptibality to them changes as we get older

Thanks. I appreciate that.

I recon you're onto something there. :D

Another wannabe:

I'm glad you appreciate the vitriol directed at you.

Do you also appreciate that you wrote a vile, offensive piece in the first place?

You do sound like a bit of a fool.

I didn't think it through.

I thought the medical certificate is there for a reason. Going from that thought, I just didn't understand how something like this could happen. (I mean, what are the chances of sudden death...).
That's all. I don't see how it was offensive.

Obviously the chances of sudden death are very low, which is why it makes the news when it happens.

Very unfortunate, and I hope none of the relatives are reading these boards, some really thoughtless comments going on here.

I'm glad you've now thought about it.

A Class 1 medical is absolutely no guarantee of longevity!!

You could drop dead on the way to or from the medical itself.

This is background information and NOT pertaining to the sad early death reported by the o/p. I am not a medic but have considerable mortality related knowledge.

The 'Sudden Adult Death Syndrome' referred to is more properly known as 'SADS, or Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome' and mainly relates to Arrhythmia [yes, with x2 'r'] and this is a broad outline of a complex and variable situation. Cardiac dysrhythmia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It can occur at any age and is being researched as one of the main causes of SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome but much work yet to do.

Whilst most Arrhythmias are well signalled many are not. For example, there are circumstances when the heart just stops. There is no 'attack' or warning but it STOPS. This can happen at any time and is classed as an Arrhythmia as the natural rhythem is lost. Unless CPR is started immediately, it is usually fatal. This can happen during sleep or soon after waking, amongst other times.

One of the most difficult aspects of this is that the event leaves no 'fingerprint' in the body for the post mortem to find. With a cardiac arrest, there is clear evidence in the blood of survivors and in the heart of those that do not. But with some events, there is no 'mark' and the medics can only draw conclusions. For the family, this is particularly difficult as they cannot point to a problem or grasp the illness that killed.

Some people have a heart weakness that only shows up the once. I have known a child of 13 die from a heart attack and people of 'good health' too. It's called Life.

Dying at 31 doesn't seem fair, and I'd agree, a modicum of respect is deserved.



:ugh::ugh:

The medical exam. exists to protect the public, not the pilot. Does it work ? Apart from "Barn Door" cases.....no.

Most young women use different contraceptives. The use of those medications, e.g. third-generation oral contraceptives, does carry a high risk of venous thrombosis. The blood clot migrating from deep veins could subsequently cause a pulmonary embolism, being a possible cause of death (regardless of age). Such a fatality, even if rare among users of oral or other contraceptives, could be more likely during the air travel.
Mentioned as a pure speculation at that stage, that potential cause will be very easy to rule out or confirm during the post mortem.

"The use of those medications, e.g. third-generation oral contraceptives, does carry a high risk of venous thrombosis."

No. There IS indeed a risk increase, but in a fit person with no other predisposing factors it is very small. The risk of death from complications of pregnancy is actually higher.

My uncle just had his full MED. Playing cricket bent down to pick up the ball and never got up. Quick as that and only a day or two after his MED. Loved the BAC 1-11 and 747 DUB - SNN-JFK. Planned for retirement but never got there. Lesson for me enjoy life every minute. Wish I could ptractice what I preach.

The risk is very low but the population of the planet is very large so there are probably quite a large number of cases. They have to happen somewhere. Ocasionally they happen somewhere that appears more significant to the reader.

My younger daughter died suddenly of SADS aged 32. Post Mortem found nothing unusual. Aparently about 10-15 young people are taken from us every week like this in the UK.

C3B, very sorry to hear that.

Local press in Spain are stating that the young female pilot probably died as a result of a pulmonary embolism. So sad.

"contraceptives / venous thrombosis."
 

An other factor: the flight. And remember: two factors together do not only double the risk. Still being small, the risk growth much more.

According to the unofficial news, the death was indeed caused by the right-side pulmonary embolism.

A bit of a reminder that even if you don't need to get up & move around (for physiological "comfort" reasons ) on your 3- 7hr flight from Scandilands to the South of Spain /Canarias, you assuredly SHOULD.

It also reminds me that I should take a break on my 5hr drive to/from work, & not only for fatigue.

Sad.