Off-Duty Pilot Steps Up When Pilot Falls Ill Mid-Flight

During the emergency, the credentialed pilot assisted with radios while the remaining Southwest crewmember flew the aircraft back to Las Vegas.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 01:54 PM ET

Verified

An off-duty airline pilot stepped into the cockpit to assist a Southwest Airlines crew when one of the pilots had a medical emergency mid-flight. [Credit: Thom Patterson]

Key Takeaways:

A Southwest Airlines pilot suffered a medical emergency mid-flight from Las Vegas to Columbus.
An off-duty pilot from another airline assisted the remaining crew, helping with communications.
The plane safely returned to Las Vegas, and a new crew completed the flight.
The FAA is investigating the incident, and the nature of the medical emergency remains undisclosed.

See a mistake? Contact us.

An off-duty pilot stepped into the cockpit to assist a Southwest Airlines crew when one of the pilots had a medical emergency mid-flight.

The incident happened aboard Southwest Airlines flight 6013 Wednesday morning around 8 a.m.

According to the FAA, flight 6013 was enroute from Harry Reid International Airport (KLAS) in Las Vegas, Nevada to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (KCMH) in Columbus, Ohio when one of the pilots became ill.

READ MORE: Incident Proves Two-Pilot Operations Are Critical for Part 121

The stricken pilot was removed from the cockpit, and what Southwest describes as a “credentialed pilot” from another airline stepped in to assist with radios while the remaining Southwest crewmember flew the aircraft back to Las Vegas.

According to Southwest, “The flight landed safely, and an alternate flight crew operated the flight to CMH. We commend the crew for their professionalism and appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding regarding the situation.”

Flightaware.com indicates the aircraft had been in the air for about an hour when it turned around and headed back to Las Vegas.