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Subscribe to RSSAlaska Airlines flight 473 was traveling from L.A. to Seattle when its pilot suddenly became unconscious. The first officer took over the controls and landed safely in Portland, Ore., where the pilot was taken to the hospital. NBC's Tom Costello reports.
A flight from Los Angeles to Seattle was diverted to Portland late Thursday after one of the pilots lost consciousness.
Alaska Airlines said Flight 473's first officer flew the Boeing 737-700 to Portland International Airport after the captain became ill over Oregon.
The plane landed safely at 9:05 p.m. local time (12:05 a.m. ET Friday) and paramedics took the pilot to the hospital, airline spokesman Paul McElroy said.
The Seattle Times reported that a doctor on board was able to tend to the captain at the front of the plane.
There were 116 passengers and five crew members on the flight, which had been due to arrive in Seattle at 9:30 p.m. local time (12.30 a.m. ET).
The captain has been flying with Alaska Airlines for 28 years, while the first officer has been with the airline 11 years, McElroy said.
NBC station KING5 said it was not known what caused the pilot to pass out.
About 20 passengers were re-accommodated on other flights to Seattle, while the rest took a flight scheduled to land in Seattle at 1:15 a.m. local time Friday (4:15 a.m. ET).
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"..paramedics took the pilot to the hospital,"
To the hospital? What is it?
Hospital, an institution where people receive medical, surgical, or psychiatric treatment and nursing care.
Where most of us were born?
What difference does it make?
Speedy recovery pilot. Glad everybody is okay.
It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.
The name of the hop-sit-al is not important right now.
What is important is... everyone is okay and safe right now. So Happy for everyone on the plane.
Get feeling better, Captain. Good going, First Officer.
@ Cheetah .....you are one of the reason people call it ,missing link and you are perfect digger for that .
We call common sense when it comes to reading and THANK GOD for the doctor on board and his professionalism and good health to the Captain.
Prehaps I will avoid Alaska AirLines for now on. The 2nd to the last time I flew with them out of LA to Portland a week later one of their planes on the same run went down in the ocean due to the elevator jack-screw.
Good one cheetah! And don't call me Shirley.
Common sense in one breath and an imaginary character in the next. Next!
Sarcasm at it's finest....
Bambi cannot comprehend sarcasm.
He's qouting the movie Airplane you morons. Geez you're dumb.
I guess bambi has never seen that movie... which is why his/her comment was so obnoxious?
What's shocking is that so many people have never seen 'Airport'. Or maybe worse....can't remember it. Probably wouldn't want any 'shrubbery' either. The pilot had a medical issue and the right seat took over. That's why he's there. Good job all around!
Pilots need to stop drinking and flying....
Cheetah - are you still taped to Granny's back?
Thanks Chucklehead.
I guess this is why it's a good thing airlines have cut out the co-pilot to trim costs.....
That's true Gneisenau! Get rid of the co-pilot; and then they can do their investigating on the ground. Right there at the crash site!
please tell me cheetah was being sarcastic and not serious about what a hospital is.
also thank god every one is all right hope the captain gets better soon.
There's a problem in the cockpit. . .
The cockpit. . what is it?
That's the little room in the front of the plane where the pilots sit. . . but that's not important now. . . .
Wonder if the pilot ate the fish?
"Cheetah" - Brilliant !... (as well as the the rest of you jokers !) god knows, I needed to laugh this morning..
I got a bigger laugh out of the number of folks who missed the boat entirely ! (thank you- "Confussed", "cutepathogen", "DancingSpiderman?", "bambi@12", "Rose1989".... Seriously ?)
"That's a Roger, Roger".... http://youtu.be/fVq4_HhBK8Y
Over, Roger!
that's Roger Oeuver!
have you ever been in a Turkish Prison, Timmy?
I was watching the news reports on this last night and they were talking as if this was some harrowing emergency landing because the pilot had passed out. I was thinking, this was only an "emergency landing" because the pilot was ill and it was not the place they were supposed to be going to. The landing itself was completely routine. This is the reason that commercial airliners carry a pilot and a co-pilot (or first officer if you prefer), in case one of them has a problem of some kind. Either one of them is completely qualified to fly the plane and land it safely. The news media tries to hype things up to generate more viewers/readers. There was never any danger to anyone on the plane other than the pilot who fell ill. This whole incident would be far better described as an unscheduled landing due to the pilot taking ill than an "emergency landing."
"JS in SD" - yes, you are correct sir....
so the next time someone like Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, suggested doing away with the Flight Crew, or even just the Co-pilot...
perhaps someone should Slap him, right out of his loafers !
He picked a bad day to quit drinking.
Thanks "Alan" - "Turkish Prison" ! Roflmao ! (Hollywood could NEVER get away with that, now.... and that's probably a good thing.... but it was FUNNY !)
Bambi,
When speaking of common sense, first look at thy self.
Non-Par,
If you don't give me a shrubbery, I shall say ni to you!
BNambi never looks in the mirror. Evidently he/she is the sort of Christian who has not read Matthew 7:5, or if so they don't apply it to their own life. What a shame. The world would be better off if all us who proclaimed Christianity did so every day.
Looks like he picked a bad week to stop sniffing glue.
"Peridot" - "Matthew 7:5" ? (ok, ok.. Searching on Google...) Ah,.. here we go - "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye"...
Yikes ! that's some pretty "Heady" stuff ! (and "casting the beam out of thine own eye ?... that's got to be painful... i got this thing stuck in my eye once,.. but i just pulled it out with Tweezers, and Rinsed a couple of times.... ; )
by the way, what makes YOU think that you are the one to correct Anyone ?... just sayin'
have a nice day !
Joey, do you like to watch gladiator movies?
"Cruella" - NICE ! ... "Judge NOT ! lest ye Be JUDGED !"... I said that to a Traffic Court Judge (in jest) and he threatened me with "Contempt" !.... How Did He Know for sure ? ... lol ! (of course he was right, but he had NO Sense of HUMOR ! and there is no way I would invite him to one of my parties...)
"Flintlock" - (i love this silly sh*t !)
(The King-) oh knights of Ni, we have brought you a "Shrubbery" !... ("Knights of Ni-) it is a Good "Shrubbery".. i particularly like the Laurel !
BUT- there is one small problem... "We are no longer the knights who say Ni ! We are now the knights who say ekki-ekki-ekki-pitang-zoom-boing ! " ; )
Love, love all the movie references...for those of you not old enough to know them...take the time. It's classic and you will forever find yourself quoting the lines! Now "don't call me Shirley" and "flying a plane is no different than riding a bicycle, just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes"
Hope the pilot is okay...and glad the first mate knew his job.
@walkingeagle069-2587156 are you laughing at me in a good way or a bad way cause it flew over my head lol
Oh, yes. The sanctimonious ones who don't get the "Airplane!" references are almost as funny as the references themselves. Remember the announcers at the airport?
"The white zone is for loading and unloading. There is no parking in the red zone."
"The red zone is for loading and unloading. There is no parking in the white zone."
"No, the white zone is for loading and unloading. There is no parking in the red zone."
"No, the red zone is for loading and unloading. There is no parking in the white zone."
"The white zone has always been for loading and unloading. There has never been any parking in the red zone."
"Look, Alice, don't start that white zone @!$%# again. The red zone is for loading and unloading."
"We both know what this is about, Henry. You want me to get an abortion."
etc.
I speak jive!
A speedy recovery to the pilot.
"Rose1989" - ... Rose, i am laughing with you my dear.... TRUST me when i say that things go over my Head , with the same frequency as passing Aircraft ! (a Rose by any other name would still be as sweet as you, my dear... have a lovely evening !)
^^ ah okay (:
7.62X39,
If you are referring to 737s the jack screw issue has always been a problem on them. To my knowledge, the problem has never been figured out. I avoid them.
One too many?
The flu, a TIA, a stroke. Who knows? If it were ETOH, the 2nd Officer should have reported it on the ground. Pilots are professionals.
why fly?
It takes to long to walk.
Every place is within walking distance, if you have the time.
Go ahead, try to walk from Portland to Hawaii. Please let us know when you get there.
LMAO!!!!!! wow like not EVERYTHING is in walking distance sometimes you need to fly cant walk through water unless you can breath under water and can drive through water unless there's a bridge but fly is the only means to travel if need to and if your not in walking distance.
fascisthater,
Ever try walking to Hawaii?
I can swim and I have a boat. Absent carnivorous fish, why not?
How soon can you land this plane?
I can't tell.
You can tell me, I'm a doctor.
Id the other pilot gets sick too, will we be up here all day?
Numerous cruise/passenger ships sail from the west coast to Hawaii throughout the year. Yes, it's five days instead of five hours, but it's done in the lap of luxury and one is not charged for luggage, blankets, pillows, food, etc. Just don't take Costa.
Or the Titanic, unless you can tread water.
Has no one heard of snorkels? Really. They have them for people and jeeps/cars. And yes they may have to be tall/long.
The life of everyone on board depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner. (Airplane)
Shirley, you jest.
Don't call me Shirley.
Boy, I picked a bad day to quit smoking.
David...what do you make of this?
I wonder if the pilot likes to watch gladiator movies or has has even been to a Turkish bath
He picked a bad day to quit sniffing glue.
I picked a bad day to quit smoking pot.
This is the second time in less than month that a Alaska airline pilot or co-pilot has passed out on the plane. The other had to make a emergency landing in Las Vegas after taking off from Seattle. Makes wonder if something is wrong with the planes from Alaska Airlines or are the pilots on something or fatigue.
@MisofRain...don't assume. It just makes an ass out of you. Me? No. I'm glad the pilot got medical help, and I hope he will be ok. Given how many flights Alaska or any major competiting airline run every day, these things are bound to happen. I applaud the protocols in place for the 2 other pilots to land safely and the ground crews get all thos people reaccomodated. Stop initiating 'what if? rumors'.
There were other pilots on the plane to take his place? I must have missed that in the article. All I read in the article was.
Alaska Airlines said Flight 473's first officer flew the Boeing 737-700 to Portland International Airport after the captain became ill over Oregon.
Both the captain and first officer are pilots. Twit.
Lighten up Gumps. Not everyone is the genius you are...
Well if the Captain is also an officer doesn't that make the guy who landed the plane the second officer.
;-)
No, it's the Captain and the First Officer. There are no Second Officers any longer on aircraft. That was the Engineer, once upon a time.
My spouse is a 777 pilot for a major airline.
Peridot the little wink below my statement meant I was joking.
If the captain is an officer he is obviously the first one.
Haven't you ever watched "Star Trek"?
It's OCCIFER... not officer.
I'll call the cop at the DWI checkpoint "occifer" on the way home tonight from my midnight Dry Burrito Run.
In case you haven't been following the news, both influenza and noro-virus are particularly prevalent this year and both can hit a person like a ton of bricks out of nowhere! (This is a reply to the suggestion that Alaska air pilots are on something, but did not post where I tried to put it.)
He probably asked for one of those stale cookies and, even though he's a pilot, he still was charged twelve bucks.
hhmm..isnt that what a co-pilot is for???? Hope the pilot recovers quickly..and why all the snide remarks about him "being on something?"..could be the flu....or any number of things...doesnt always have to be something bad...geesh
Yeah, really.... coulda been ANYthing... maybe the pilot's Eustachian Toobz was clogged up, got dizzy, fainted, choked on the fish...maybe the pilot was 6 and a half hours into a 5-hour energy... maybe the pilot was bored and decided to practice his Circular Breathing but forgot to mix in some fresh air in time....
...sometimes I forget to breathe... occurs mostly in my sleep
FLEW-BOO?
He must have had the fish for dinner!
(Darn, someone already beat me to it!)
its a lost cause anyway...lol. I was thinking the same thing. lol..I suspect the doctor helping the pilot stopped in on the co-pilot to wish him luck and to bear in mind everyone was counting on him.
Yep, about a dozen others.
/
Why is this even news? The co pilot took over and landed the plane!. Now had the co pilot AND the pilot in command both passed out, then its time to panic and make the news.
If that happened, the headline would be "Plane missing".
Why did you read it and complain, Randall? It's airline news for those of us who have connections to the industry. My spouse is a 777 airline pilot. He used to fly 737s himself. We have friends who are pilots for other airlines.
If you don't care about it, don't read the article. Pilots are a tight-knit community. Don't whinge because no one was injured. Some of us are pleased no lives were lost.
Pilots are a tight-knit community
The ones that are REALLY tight get arrested for FWI!
Actually just so happens i am a pilot myself, and this is not such a common occurance, But we do train for this don't we? Just because the Co is in the Co seat doesn't mean he is not as qualified as the PIC. Not making light of it, just making a comment.
I only play a Pilot on TV.
Why is every shooting within the Contienental United States end up on Newsvine.
Rex- i think its because they want us to read about it and comment but more importantly i think they want us arguing other then that i have no clue
Give me ham on 5, and hold the Mayo.
It happens all of the time behind the wheel of car why not in the air at least there was another pilot behind the wheel of the airplane and everything came out just fine as it should have been.
May God give the pilot the strength to get through this really tough time now and for all time to come as I am certain he will!!!
IS THERE A "FEE" FOR PASSING OUT?
No fee for passing out, but there IS a fee for passing GAS.
^ LMAO! <- thats for Starbuck49 and there is no fee for passing out
My guess is the flu has reached California. But it could be anything.
The flu doesn't make you pass out duh.
Gee, dehydration from the flu sure made Hilary pass out....duh....
"Jeff from Winston-Salem" - "Update" - Quote from the pilot - "and Don't call me Hillary" !
"MurderOfCrows" - Thank you !.... and whoops- i hit the "post" button too soon, ... but i wanted to say, -that gave me a chuckle !
You can not only pass out from, but you can DIE of the flu.
I was recently reading about the fumes in the cockpit making the pilots sick. Also fumes in passenger areas. This needs to be investigated.
Stop all passengers and pilots from eating airport food before boarding and the fumes will stop.
People pass out all over the world every day. Once in a while it's an an airline pilot, just by the law of averages. Good thing they have co-pilots on all the major commercial carriers.
And if it is a long international flight, there will be third (relief) pilot on board.
Rex
Did you even read the article?
Los Angeles to Seattle
Tell me what an international flight has to do with flying from Los Angeles to Seattle. No one is talking about an international flight, nitwit!
Wow, starbutt, you are slow - rex was talking about international flights just before your post. Nitwit.
Rex was respondingto what the previous poster said. Show me where Mymomdidnotraiseafool said anything about international flights? The article had Los Angeles to Seattle.
Mymomdidnotraiseafool
People pass out all over the world every day. Once in a while it's an an airline pilot, just by the law of averages. Good thing they have co-pilots on all the major commercial carriers.
Rex-1306908
And if it is a long international flight, there will be third (relief) pilot on board.
Thank goodness there was a doctor on board to help the pilot and thank God there are co-pilots on board. I'm glad everyone is safe and hope the pilot is okay.
Yeah, going over Oregon tends to have that effect on me, too...
The news said he tried to open the door of the plane. Scary!!!! Thank God everyone is ok
Maybe it was the scent from the Flight Attendants new uniforms they've complained about.
I'm glad it all turned out ok. Wishing the pilot a speedy recovery from whatever made him ill.
Lettuce alone.
Don't stuff the lettuce. Just eet the lettuce by itself. Feed your incisors like a wood chipper for entertainment.
Many people respond to acute illness by passing out. H. Clinton just passed out from the flu and sustained an injury. So Troy, when are you going to stop commenting on things you know nothing about? By the way , I have 6 years education in the medical field and 34 years experience in emergency medicine. You are obviously not informed, Duh.
On three occasions I have fainted. Twice I've sustained concussion from striking my head on the ground when I fell. One of those concussions was serious.
Troy, when you complete your education you may comprehend the consequences of TBI. Or not. Either way you should not pass remarks about subjects which you don't understand. Concussions can lead to epilepsy, therefore the flu can cause epilepsy.
Grow up or shut up.
Passing out can cause DWI's or worse too, er, in this case FWI.
I wish the pilot a speedy recovery. Thank you, anonymous doctor, for not worrying about a malpractice suit. Thank you first officer for safely landing the plane.