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

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]

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.

READ MORE: Flight Instructor Dies Mid Lap in Pattern at UK Airport

The nature of the medical emergency was not disclosed.

The FAA is investigating the incident.

flight emergency Harry Reid International Airport John Glenn Columbus International Airport KCMH KLAS

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.