- A flight instructor died during a private flight last year, according to a new safety report.
- The pilot thought his instructor was “just pretending to take a nap” before realizing he was dead.
- Since 2005, the British Aviation Authority has found three cases of pilots dying of heart attacks while flying.
Last year, when a flight instructor who accompanied a pilot on a private flight in the UK suffered a cardiac arrest and died shortly after takeoff, the pilot thought his passengers were “just pretending to take a nap”. I didn’t realize the truth until I landed. Runway.
In June 2022, a flight over Blackpool Airport in Lancashire saw the death of a 57-year-old longtime flight instructor, one of just two crew members on the plane, of a heart attack. Later, it turned into a tragedy when it fell on the pilot’s shoulder. According to a newly released safety report.
A report from the British Aviation Accidents Investigation Service said the pilot that day had originally planned to fly from Blackpool Airport to another airfield, but crosswinds at the time exceeded the comfort limit of the pilot flying alone. I asked the instructor to accompany me. single circuit. There were no passengers on the four-seater Piper PA-28.
Before the flight, the pilot said he and the instructor had a normal chat. According to the report, the instructor’s last words he recalled were, “Looks good, there’s nothing behind you.”
Shortly after takeoff, however, the pilot said the instructor’s head fell back. The pilot knew the instructor well and thought he was just “pretending to take a nap”.
According to the accident report, the pilot continued to fly over the circuit, but moments later the instructor collapsed with his head on the pilot’s shoulder. The pilot still believed the instructor was joking and continued to fly normally.
After the pilot landed safely, he realized that the instructor’s weight was still on his shoulders. I noticed something strange.
Firefighters and air paramedics soon arrived and attempted to resuscitate the instructor, but the instructor was unresponsive and paramedics were unable to save him.
Other people who spoke to the instructor on the morning of the flight said he was acting “normal, bubbly” and showed no signs of feeling unwell, according to the report.
A study by the British Civil Aviation Authority’s Medical Service found that the pilot logged more than 8,800 flight hours, had a history of hypertension, and likely suffered a cardiac arrest when the plane took off.
The Civil Aviation Authority has found three previous cases of pilots having heart attacks on board since 2005, according to accident reports. rice field.