A Dutch airliner with 41 passengers and crew on board had to declare an emergency within three minutes of taking off from Dublin Airport after its 35-year-old pilot collapsed in his seat.
A new report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) also revealed that the KLM flight destined for Amsterdam sustained a bird strike as it made an emergency landing at Dublin Airport a short time later.
The AAIU investigation outlined details about the “serious incident” which occurred on October 19, 2022. The emergency involved an Embraer E175-200 STD aircraft with 37 passengers and four crew members on board.
The AAIU report detailed how the first officer indicated to the commander that he was not feeling well shortly after take-off at 8.22am before collapsing in his seat and becoming rapidly incapacitated.
The commander of the flight tried unsuccessfully to revive his colleague by speaking loudly and shaking him by the shoulder. The incident occurred just three minutes into the flight when the aircraft had reached an altitude of 10,000 feet.
AAIU investigators confirmed that the autopilot was engaged at the time. The aircraft commander took over all flying duties and issued a Mayday alert to air traffic controllers to request clearance to return to Dublin Airport and to notify the airport authorities that medical assistance would be required.
He also immediately requested assistance from cabin crew staff through the emergency call button and knocking on the cockpit door. Although the flight officer regained consciousness and appeared stable, the commander determined that he was unable to be part of an active cockpit crew.
Cabin crew helped to secure the flight officer to his seat which was moved away from the cockpit’s controls and to put an oxygen mask on him. Passengers were notified by the aircraft’s public address system that the aircraft had to return to Dublin and they would be briefed further by the commander on landing.
AAIU investigators reported that the aircraft encountered a flock of birds at approximately 100 feet on its approach and sustained a bird strike to the left side of its nose section. The report said the bird strike did not cause any problems although it had the potential to add significantly to the workload of the remaining pilot.
A normal landing was performed at 8.40am although the pilot reported that weather conditions at the time had deteriorated. A medical assessment of the unwell pilot concluded he had low blood pressure with his condition due to a possible lack of water and food in combination with a rising cabin altitude after departure.
KLM informed Irish investigators that initial and recurrent training it carries out in a simulator includes the actions to be taken if a pilot becomes incapacitated. The AAIU observed that the incident occurred with minimal warning shortly after take-off which is a phase of the flight that involves a high workload for flight crews.
